Friends
by RositaLG
Summary: What happens when two friends realize that they both have been hiding their feelings from each other? TRORY
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Here's the deal folks. If you comment on this chapter and tell me that you voted in the election today, I will post the next chapter, which is ready and waiting. But I need twenty voters first. And don't lie. That's just un-American. I don't care who you vote for, whether it's a mayor, senator, or president, although I hope it's all of the above. Go out and voice your opinion. Be a part of one of the most historic votes in history. You'll thank yourself later.

"Tristan, remind me again why are you such a manwhore?" Rory asked as she arrived at her locker to find him making out with another girl…again. Pushing the girl to the side, he shrugged. He dismissed the girl with a wave and she walked away without saying a word. Rory scoffed at the mindless obedience and shook her head.

"What?" He asked innocently.

"Nothing."

"Come here." He beckoned and she walked a little closer to him. Without removing his back from the locker he pulled her into his embrace and started kissing her. The bell for the next class started ringing. And ringing. And ringing.

"Rory! Turn off that damn alarm and get up already!" Lorelei cried. "You're going to be late for school."

OOOOO

"I want a ten page paper on a specific election of your choice. I want you to compare and contrast the politics of the past with the current politics in Washington." The bell rang and Rory instantly blushed, remembering her dream from the night before. Walking to her locker, she was confronted with the same sight she saw every day. Tristan was leaning against her locker, flirting shamelessly with a girl. He laughed at her face disgusted face.

"You're unbelievable. How are we still friends?" She asked him as the girl walked away.

"Well, that's simple." He said nonchalantly. She waited expectantly. "You can't resist my handsome face and witty charm."

"Don't bet on it." She said sarcastically. In truth, even she didn't know why they were friends, but she did enjoy sparring with him every day.

"Damn Mary, what's up with you today?" He asked, picking up on her bad mood.

"Nothing." She said as she slammed her locker and started walking toward the bus. He stepped in front of her and blocked the hallway. "I'm going to miss my bus." She said.

"I'll give you a ride." He said without blinking. She folded her arms. "I'm not letting you by until you tell me what's wrong." He said, this time more sympathetically. Rory suddenly found her shoes interesting. "You're going to tell me eventually, so just save us all the trouble and tell me now." With a heavy sigh, she finally met his eyes.

"I broke up with Dean last night." She muttered.

"I thought it was your anniversary?"

"It was." She said, still upset by the fact. "He told me he loved me." Tristan's stomach dropped at her words. "I didn't say it back."

"Uh-oh."

"Yeah." She sighed. "Look, it's over, I don't want to talk about it anymore." Her sad face made his heart hurt.

"You know, Dean didn't deserve you. You were always way out of his league."

"I don't know about that, but thanks anyway."

"I mean it." He smiled. "Do you want to hang out for a while?"

"I can't, I have a History paper to write."

"We could get some coffee, it will make you feel better." She smiled.

"No fair, I can't turn down coffee. It should be against the rules to ply me with my favorite drink. "

"I don't play by the rules Mary. I make them." He joked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a big squeeze. With a quick shrug, she pushed him off.

"For that, coffee's on you." She said as they walked out the doors.

OOOOO

"So are you going to Maddie's party tonight?" Tristan asked as he handed her the mug of coffee.

"I don't know. I was going to, but now…"

"Because you don't have a boyfriend, you're not going to go to a party? That doesn't sound like the fiercely independent girl I first met."

"I'm just not really in the mood, you know? I mean, just because I didn't love him didn't mean that I wasn't happy when I was with him." Tristan stared at her.

"You really liked him?" He asked, not believing her.

"Yeah." Rory said with a small smile. "You look surprised." She said behind her raised coffee mug.

"I never would have pictured you with someone like him."

"You picture me with guys a lot?" She asked.

"No, but you're so smart. You read more than anyone I've ever met and you know more about pop culture than I think is humanly necessary."

"You make him sound like a blathering idiot." Tristan raised his hands.

"Hey, your words, not mine."

"Stop it! He wasn't that bad!"

"What did you even talk about?" He asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Stuff." She said. "Whatever came up in conversation."

"Stuff." Tristan said, clearly proving his point. "You were bored out of your mind, admit it."

"Why do you care?" She asked him. "It's not like you are getting intellectually stimulated in front of my locker every day." Her words cut him like a knife, but he tried not to show it.

"No, that's a different kind of stimulation entirely." He said putting his classic smirk firmly in place. Rory saw the falter in his expression and noted it. She had touched a nerve.

"Why don't you ever date?" She questioned him. "You're smart, you could, and probably have, get any girl in school." Not every girl, he thought to himself.

"I'm not a serious relationship kind of guy." He said. "I don't have the emotional stamina."

"We've been friends for years." She pointed out. "What's the difference between friendship and a relationship." Tristan shrugged.

"It's easy with you." He said. Rory locked eyes with him, trying to figure out what he was saying. "Think about the party tonight, I think you'd feel better if you came." He said.

"I'll think about it." She said.

OOOOO

Rory entered the party with a lot of doubts. She hadn't wanted to come, but between her mother and Tristan, she was forced into it. It was for her own benefit apparently. Spying the drinks table, she figured that she would ease her doubts with a little punch.

"You came!" Tristan said over the pounding music. Rory just nodded. "I'm glad."

"How many of those have you had?" Rory asked.

"I can't be happy without being drunk?" He asked.

"The two usually end up together in the end." She said, knowing him. "So have you picked out the girl for the night?"

"Not yet." He said. "I was thinking of hanging out with you for a bit."

"You don't have to babysit me. I'll be just fine."

"Rory! You made it! So sorry about Dean, that really sucks." Louise said as she grabbed a soda from the table behind them. "Let's dance." Before she could answer, she was being pulled toward the makeshift dance floor.

OOOOO

It had been a while since Tristan had last seen Rory. He was keeping pretty close tabs on her tonight, although he didn't know why. He figured he was just protecting her, wanting her to be okay after the whole breakup, but the truth was, he was starting to fall for her. He didn't know when it had happened; there was no revelation or moment when things changed for him, but change they did. It was starting to get to the point where it was affecting their friendship, which was the last thing he wanted. He would rather have her as a friend than not at all. Wandering throughout the house, he finally found her in a spare bedroom.

"Hey," He said as he leaned against the doorframe. Rory looked up at him. She loved the way he leaned all the time, against her locker, against the wall, against his car. It was a piece of him that was consistent, that he couldn't hide from her. The dark room and the light from the hallway contrasted to silhouette him. "No lights?" he asked. "I'm surprised you're not reading."

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you." He said as he slowly walked towards her. "What are you doing in here all alone?"

"Thinking." She said.

"Ah." He said as he sat down on the bed next to her. "You want to talk about it?" She shook her head. "Okay." He said, not knowing what to say. They sat there for a minute before she finally got the courage to speak her mind.

"I compared him to you." She said quietly.

"What?" He said, not following.

"Dean. I compared him to you…in my head." She pointed to her temple. "He would do something, or say something and the first thing I would do would compare him to you." Tristan exhaled sharply.

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." She said.

"Yeah, I do." He said as he turned to look at her. "It's the same reason I don't date." Rory was surprised by his answer. "I would rather spend my time with you." He admitted.

"Really?" He nodded.

"Ror," He said as he stared at her. "look at me." She looked into his eyes and got lost. Without even realizing it, her lips were against his. The kiss was light, but quickly deepened as Tristan finally got a taste of his best friend. His tongue explored her mouth and he felt her sigh. This was better than anything he could have ever predicted. She tasted so sweet to him. He was hooked. Rory abruptly pulled away from the kiss once her senses kicked back in. Her breathing was heavy as she stared into his eyes.

"What was that?" She asked as she touched her fingertips to her lips.

"I don't know, but I want to do it again." He said as he leaned back in and continued the kissing. Rory was completely surprised by the feelings that Tristan was evoking within her. She knew that this was going to change their friendship forever and it scared her. Pulling away again, she put her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm serious Tristan. This is big. We have to talk about this."

"Rory, you're my best friend, but can't we just appreciate this for what it is?"

"What is it?" She asked. "Do you know? Because I certainly don't. I'm not a girl who just randomly makes out with people, Tristan."

"I know you aren't."

"So are we friends who are suddenly kissing, or are we kissing and just happen to be friends?" Tristan sighed. He knew that the rational part of Rory's brain needed to sort out everything. They were exact opposites that way, which ended up working out pretty well for each of them.

"I don't know. What do you think?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "I've never thought about…us," she paused as if the phrase totally freaked her out, "in more than a friendship capacity." Okay, that wasn't true, but the dream was just a freak one-time occurrence, right? He didn't have to know about that.

"What's the difference between our friendship and a relationship?" Tristan asked, pointing out her previous words.

"What happened to being emotionally stunted?" She threw his words right back at him.

"It's always been different with you." He said. "And I think that it's different for a reason." He looked into her eyes. "I like you Mare." She physically leaned back and examined his seriousness. "I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't want to ruin what we have."

"For how long?" She asked curiously.

"I don't know, a month maybe? When you told me today that Dean told you he loved you, I got a little jealous." He said.

"Wow." She muttered. She had no idea that Tristan had ever thought of her in that way.

"I think we should try this." Tristan said, putting it out there for her to hear, and probably dismiss.

"And what if it doesn't work out?" She echoed the thoughts that were nagging at the back of his mind.

"We'll have to cross that bridge if we come to it." He shrugged. "I can't see the future."

"Try." She said, a little upset at how casual he was being. "Because right now, I'm seeing you and me a few weeks down the road when you are bored and every girl in the school is throwing themselves at you saying things like 'She doesn't have to know. It will be our little secret.' I really don't see you saying no. Although I do hope to God that you are smart enough to not do it in front of my locker." She tried to joke to ease the tension.

"You honestly think that I have no self-control don't you?" Rory's eyes shot up at the sound of his hurt voice. "I mean, we've been friends for years and yet, you still see me like everyone else does."

"That's not true." Rory said, defending herself.

"I can't believe this." He ran his hand through his hair and stood up. "I thought that you were different."

"I just think that it's going to be hard."

"Relationships are supposed to be hard!" He shouted at her. "That's why I'm never in them. Easy relationships lead you to guys like Dean." He spit out the name like it tasted bad.

"Like you're one to talk." She said bitterly.

"You know what, forget it. I don't want this." He said as he walked out the door.

"Tristan, stop!" Her panicked voice followed him down the hall. "Tristan!"

"Leaving so soon?" Maddie asked. Tristan just slammed the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

A/N: YAY FOR VOTING! I'm so proud of anyone who did and I totally agree with Gia that if you didn't vote, you can't complain for four years, and let's face it, we all like to complain.

Also, I would like to thank StDAY for writing such a good fic that it inspired me to steal her idea and make it my own. Head over to Shadows and Regrets if you haven't. It's better than mine, but that's okay ;) Anywho, on to the story!

The next day at school, everyone knew that something had gone down between Rory and Tristan. They wouldn't even look at each other, which was a far contrast from their usual inseparable chatter.

"What happened?" Paris asked as Rory walked into the Franklin office at the end of the day.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Rory said.

"Between you and Tristan. Everyone is talking about it, but no one knows anything."

"Well then, obviously nothing happened." She said as she sat her bag down on the table.

"So the fire in both of your eyes is just a coincidence?" Looking around, Rory sighed. She shut the door to the room and looked at Paris.

"We kissed at Maddie's party." She whispered. Paris's reaction was exactly what Rory was fearing.

"Oh my God."

"I know. I know." She covered her eyes. "It just happened."

"So what happened after that? That caused the icicles, I mean."

"He said we should date."

"What?"

"And I logically questioned that statement, given his previous history with women. And he took it personally. He said that I didn't trust him, and that if I didn't know him any better after all these years he didn't want to see me anymore."

"Well, that's a pretty mature argument coming from him."

"You think this is my fault?!"

"No, I think that you two have been dancing around each other for two years. I think that he has a history of using women to pass the time and you pick relationships that make you feel safe and bored because you don't want to end up like your mother." Rory scoffed. "Together, you would make a perfect couple, if you could learn how to compromise with each other."

"Thanks a lot." Rory said.

"Hey, you asked." Paris said. "Was it good?" She asked.

"It was the best kiss I've ever had." She said as she put her head on the desk. "Of all the people in the world that I could have kissed, why Tristan? He was my best friend, and the biggest player in the history of relationships and yet…"

"And yet what?"

"I can't stop thinking about it. You know how my mind works. The more I try to not think about it, the more I obsess about it."

"Maybe you should talk to Tristan."

"He does not want to talk about it. He doesn't even want to see me."

"Well, you did hurt his feelings, even if you didn't mean to."

"So I should apologize for having a brain?"

"Yes, and then you should forgive him for having a broken heart." Rory just stared at Paris.

"Where did you learn how to do this?"

"Lots of therapy time." She said with a shrug.

OOOOO

Rory stood on his front step later that afternoon. She hadn't knocked yet, but she was working up the courage to, eventually. Taking a deep breath, she rang the bell. Tristan's mother answered the door.

"Rory! Tristan is upstairs in his room." Rory paused.

"Could you ask him to come down? I'm not sure he wants to see me. We got into a pretty big fight."

"Nonsense. Go upstairs, if he's angry just tell him I sent you." She said with a smile. Trudging up the stairs to his room, Rory didn't know if she liked that plan. She stopped outside of his door and watched him for a second. He was lying on this bed, iPod buds stuck in his ears and his eyes were closed. He was also shirtless. Knocking on the doorframe, Tristan glanced over to see who it was. Closing his eyes again, he sighed.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, obviously not over the fight quite yet.

"Yellowcard, nice." She said as she looked at what he was listening to before ripping the headphones out of his ears. "I came to apologize to my best friend." She said. Sitting up, he looked annoyed, but she could tell he was curious to find out what she was going to say next. She sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at him. "I'm sorry. Not because I shouldn't have said those things, but because of the way I said them. I know you better than to think that this lame apology is going to fix things between us, but I don't want to lose you."

"It's okay." He said. "I know why you freaked out. I couldn't have handled it either if I had never thought about it before."

"So, where do we go from here?" She asked him nervously.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked. "This is entirely up to you." She played with her fingers for a minute.

"You actually want to date me?" She asked as she looked up at him. "Despite whatever consequences come our way?" Tristan was staring at the carpet, unable to look at her.

"When I'm with you, I'm happy. If we were to break up or whatever, I would be devastated." He said honestly. "But I think that the happiness outweighs that possibility."

"I need to know that we could still be friends." She said. "If we do this, you have to be one hundred and ten percent honest with me. If you want out, for any reason, just say the word and we'll go back to being friends. Two weeks, six months, whatever. Promise?" Was she really considering saying yes? Tristan's mind was racing with the possibility of the two of them dating. He had never actually thought that this would happen, but now that it was about to, his heart was leaping out of his chest.

"I would never lie to you." He comforted her. "So, being entirely honest, what did you think about last night?"

"I was so freaked out." Rory said with a smile.

"Me too. It was a good kiss though."

"It was a fantastic kiss." Their eyes locked and they both smiled, embarrassed.

"Okay, so how do we do this?" Tristan asked, not wanting to move too fast.

"Do what?"

"Move a step up the relationship food chain." She smiled at his description.

"Well, I guess it goes something like this." She said as she leaned in to kiss him sweetly.

"Mm, yeah. That's a good start." He said as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Would it freak you out if I did this?" He asked as he took the kiss up another notch. "How you holding up?" He asked as he teasingly checked her face for signs of nervousness.

"Stop it." She said as she nudged him with her shoulder. "I'm fine."

"Good." She absentmindedly ran her fingertips down his collarbone and to the center of his chest, causing him to shiver.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he closed his eyes.

"Nothing." She said innocently. He grabbed her wrist to stop her from moving any further.

"It's not nothing..." He raised his eyebrows at her. Blushing, she smiled a small embarrassed smile before looking at the carpet. For the first time in his life, he wanted to have sex with Rory Gilmore. His best friend. "I'm sorry, it's just that, I'm making out with my best friend." He said as if he couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"I know. It's a little weird." He nodded. "It's a good weird though." She comforted him. He smiled at her. "Don't think of me as your best friend. Think of me as your girlfriend."

"I can't think of you as a girlfriend because I treat my girlfriends like crap. I want to treat you better than that." Rory smiled.

"So the problem is…"

"For the first time in our relationship, you just turned me on." She blushed again.

"Okay, that is weird." She laughed.

"Yeah."

"We aren't having sex." She said with a certain smile.

"I would have to stop calling you Mary." He laughed.

"But we are going to keep making out, because practice makes perfect, and eventually, we'll get over the weirdness. Plus, I like it." She said as she threw her leg over his lap to straddle him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed his forehead. He ran his hands lightly over the thighs of her jeans and rested them on her butt.

"Is this okay?" He asked.

"Do you always ask for permission to grope your girlfriends?" She giggled before kissing him.

"No." He said against her lips before regaining his confidence and pulling them back down onto the bed.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Just wanted to give a quick 'Ευχαριστώ' to my Greek readers out there! I spent a semester studying there and I miss it so much!

"I have to go." She said with one last kiss. "My mom's been on my back about how much time I've been spending over here. The last thing I need is to break curfew."

"Is she really that worried about us having sex?"

"It's not you so much, but the fact that she was our age when I was born. She's a little paranoid." She turned around to put her books back into her backpack. "At any rate, I don't want her to get any ideas, especially since I went on the pill." She had said it before she realized it.

"You're on the pill?" Turning around slowly to face him, she turned bright red.

"It wasn't because of you." She said quickly. "I wasn't even planning on telling you."

"But your mom thinks it is?" He asked. "Is that why she's been so hard on us?" Rory nodded.

"Why didn't you just say so before. I could have taken care of it."

"What are you going to say? Don't worry Lor, I'm not going to knock up your daughter?" She said with a smile.

"We could hang out at your house more, where she knows there's supervision."

"It's crazy for us to go to Stars Hollow. By the time I get done with the paper and you get done with basketball, we barely have time to eat and do homework in Hartford, let alone adding the drive to Stars Hollow both ways for you."

"Well, how about we spend Saturday in Stars Hollow. Just to show your mom that we are not spending our afternoons shacked up in my bedroom with no supervision." Rory smiled.

"You're pretty amazing, you know that?"

"I've been told." He smiled. "Come on, I'll drive you home."

OOOOO

"He's trying to show you that he's a good guy. He's being supportive and trying to comfort you."

"I know, and I do believe that he is a good guy. It's not like I've never met the kid before. I'm just saying that things could change."

"Mom, we're not having sex. We're not planning on having sex in the future. And I promise, on the rare occasion in which that would change, I would talk to you first about it." She hadn't realized that her mother was so concerned about never seeing the two of them together since they started dating. Maybe this was a good idea.

"Promise?" She asked sarcastically. She knew that she was over-reacting, but she also knew Tristan's history with women.

"That's him." Rory said as she heard his car pull up. "Be nice."

"I'm always nice."

"Hey," She said as he got out of his car. "How are you?" She kissed him chastely on the lips.

"I'm fantastic." He said, wrapping an arm around her. "How's your mom?" He asked under his breath as he smiled at Lorelei, who was waiting on the porch.

"The same."

"Hey kid, long time no see." Lorelei said.

"Yeah, you too. School has been so crazy. Between basketball, homework, and trying to keep Rory supplied with coffee, my life has been jam-packed." He laughed.

"Well, we all have our priorities." Rory said. "Speaking of coffee…"

"Luke's?" He offered. She nodded frantically.

"Let's go." She tugged on his arm.

"Lorelei, are you coming?"

"Sure, I suppose. Don't you two want some alone time?"

"Trying to get rid of us already?" He asked. "What was that, three minutes?"

"Two and a half minutes actually." She said as she looked at his watch.

"I was being generous." Tristan said as they started walking to Luke's.

"So you two have been pretty busy lately, huh?" Lorelei said. "I bet you're looking forward to Christmas break."

"Absolutely. My family is going to Colorado again, skiing, snowboarding. I love it. It will be great to get away for a while."

"Aren't you going to miss me?" Rory said.

"Of course not. The snow bunnies will keep me company." He said seriously. "OW!" He cried as she hit him in the back of the head. "I was kidding!" He said grabbing her waist.

"You better be." She giggled. Lorelei watched as the two were exactly the same as before they started dating. Deciding she should grab a table, she left them alone outside the diner. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?" He nodded and leaned down so Rory could kiss the top of his head. "I'm sorry." She said.

"Well, how can I argue with that?" He said as he pointed to her pouty face. "You're forgiven."

"Good." She smiled. "And so help me God, if you get caught with a snowbunny…" She whispered. He laughed.

"Jealous?" He teased, but she didn't answer. Dean and his new girlfriend Lindsey were walking towards them, about to head into the diner as well.

"Let's get out of here." Rory said quietly, if not desperately, to him. Tristan looked down at her and nodded.

"Yeah, sure thing." He said as he kissed her temple and turned around. They started walking back towards the way they came when Rory paused.

"Mom." She realized, glancing back to the diner.

"I'll go tell her." He said. He was trying to be supportive, but the whole situation made his stomach turn. He knew that this wasn't about upsetting Dean, because he didn't know they were dating. This was about Lindsey. Rory didn't like seeing Dean with another girl.

"You don't have to do that." Rory said. "Come on, let's just go in."

"Are you sure? It's not a big deal." He offered again.

"You're right, it's not a big deal. Let's go." Walking back into the diner, Lorelei was sitting at the counter.

"God you two, what took you so long? On second thought, I don't want to know." She said with a shudder.

"What are we ordering?" Rory asked. Lorelei glanced at Tristan, who rolled his eyes over towards Dean and Lindsey. Lorelei got the message.

"Burgers." Lorelei said. "Luke is bringing some pie over too."

"Sounds great." Tristan said.

"Hey guys," Luke said as he brought over the coffee pot.

"Leave the pot." Lorelei said as she put her hand on his wrist.

"Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine." Rory said. "We're just thirsty." Jess emerged from behind the curtain. Without saying a word, he scanned the diner. Noticing what was going down, he grabbed a muffin and sat down.

"What?" He asked when everyone gave him the same look. "I'm not going to miss this."

"What are you doing for Christmas?" Rory asked. "Please tell me you're sticking around. Tristan is abandoning me."

"Yeah, I am. Do we have a plan?"

"We'll figure something out." She said.

"Speaking of figuring something out, what book do you want for Christmas this year?" Jess asked.

"I haven't thought about it. What about you?"

"I'm narrowing down a list." Every year, they buy each other a book, read it, and swap it back. It was like their very own reading circle, as if they needed a reason to buy more books.

"Dean." Luke placed a bag of food on the counter.

"What are you getting each other?" Jess asked. "The very first Christmas as a couple, no pressure or anything."

"Oh, I've already bought her gift." Tristan said. "It's a good one too."

"You did?" Rory said surprised. He nodded, proud of himself, but slightly embarrassed by her reaction. "Baby…" She smiled as she kissed him. "I'm a bad girlfriend, I haven't gotten you anything yet."

"That will be $25.50." Luke said to Dean, who wasn't paying any attention to Luke.

"You don't have to get me anything." Tristan said. "Just spending time with you is a gift." He said being overtly cheesy. She went to slap his shoulder, but Tristan grabbed her arm and kissed her instead. Dean paid his money and grabbed his food. Lorelei turned towards Dean and saw him watching the two, clearly surprised that the two former friends were now dating.

"God you two, get a room." Lorelei shot Jess a look and shook her hand. "I mean, don't?" He said confused by her reaction. "What do you want from me? Use your words." He asked frustrated. Lorelei shook her head.

"Does this," she gestured again. "Mean nothing to you? Dean was standing right behind me." Lorelei said.

"So?" She rolled her eyes, unable to put up with him any longer.

"You share genes with this kid." She told Luke as she pointed her thumb towards the teenager.

"Don't remind me." Luke said as he went past the group.

OOOOO

"Will you call me when you get there?" Rory asked as she hugged him goodbye.

"Yes, and I'm sure I'll call more than that because there is a very good chance that my parents are going to drive me crazy within ten seconds of landing."

"Okay, don't break your neck. I want you in one piece when you get back."

"Yes ma'am." He said with a salute.

"I'm serious. Snowboarding looks dangerous."

"I haven't broken a bone yet. I'll be safe." He said with a kiss. "Bye."

"Bye." She said as she waved him off.

"Hey Ror," He said turning around. "Are you going to be naughty or nice this Christmas?" Tristan asked with a wink.

"Don't you wish you were sticking around to find out?" She said seriously.

"You're killing me." She laughed as he got in his car. With a sigh, she turned back towards the bus stop. She was finally free from Chilton, at least for a few weeks. She planned on catching up on some quality time with her mother and Jess, both of whom she had neglected lately due to finals and Tristan. The bus was right on time, which made her feel a little better about the fact that her boyfriend had just abandoned her for Christmas. Moving to her normal seat, she was surprised to find Jess with a book in his hand.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Just got your present from New York, I figured I'd keep going and meet you here. Merry Christmas." He handed her a present.

"Aw, thanks." She tore open the package. It was an autographed copy of Christiane Amanpour's book _Attack on the Press._ "Jess." She stared at him. "Is it real?" He nodded. "Where did you get this?"

"A friend of mine works at a bookstore in New York, she came in and autographed it. Do you like it?"

"Are you kidding?" She hugged him. "It's perfect! Thank you!" He smiled. "I don't have yours on me, otherwise I would give it to you."

"I didn't figure you would." He said with a chuckle.

"As soon as we get home, I'll get it for you." She stared at the book in her hands again. "I can't believe this."

"I heard about it, and I had to get it for you." He said. "I didn't write in the margins though. I figured you wanted it in one perfect piece."

"It's going in a glass case as soon as I find one."

"Maybe one of those museum spotlights hung above it?"

"Yeah!" She laughed. "You're the best friend ever. You know that right?"

"You too." She smiled and hugged the book a little tighter to her chest.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: I am now a college graduate! Woo! Sorry about the long delays with all of my stories, but finishing college has a way of eliminating time to write for fun. I will be better from now on. I think. Haha. Anyways, I wrote this for New Year's…A belated Happy Holidays and have a Happy New Year! 2009 should be full of adventures!

Rory sat at her desk, bored out of her mind. Her mother was bringing home movies and food, but she wasn't home yet and Rory didn't have anything to do. She was just about to reorganize her bookshelf when she reached for her phone. She didn't mind looking desperate, it had been a while since she had heard from him, and she figured she had the right to call.

"Thank you for calling." He said as he answered his phone.

"Hi!" She said. "I hope I'm not interrupting, I just thought I would check in."

"No! Not at all, just family time." She smiled as she pictured him rolling his eyes.

"How is it so far?"

"The trip didn't quite get off on the right foot."

"Why, what happened?"

"It's blizzarding right now. I haven't even had a chance to get out of the cabin yet."

"I'm sorry."

"Enough about me. How is your break going?" He asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Good. It's weird not having any homework." Tristan bit back a laugh. Only Rory would complain about a lack of homework. "Oh, Jess got me the best present ever."

"Oh yeah? What was it?"

"An autographed copy of Christian Amanpour's book!"

"Wow, where did he find that?"

"New York."

"You love it." He said with a smile. He could hear her beaming through the phone.

"Of course. Although, you and I haven't switched presents yet, so I can't definitively call it the best present ever, but you're going to have to work pretty hard." She said with a teasing smile.

"I'm not even going to try. I can't compete with that." He said honestly. Rory shut the door to her bedroom and laid down on the bed. "Have I told you how much I miss you? Not just girlfriend-you, but best friend-you." It was the best thing he could have told her at the moment.

"I miss you too."

"Where are you?" He asked as he heard the door close.

"In my room, on my bed. Where are you?"

"The same. Wanna play a game?" She laughed at him.

"Are you really that bored that you forgot who you are talking to?"

"No, but I figured you might be." He said with a guilty sigh

"A little over a week until New Year's Eve. I've got a knock-out dress that Mom helped me pick out. You're gonna freak." He closed his eyes, trying to picture her in a formal dress, he couldn't imagine it.

"What color is it?"

"Um, kind of a dark emerald green." She heard him sigh.

"What about your hair, up or down?" He asked.

"I don't know. Why are you asking?" She stopped as she realized exactly what he was doing. "Tristan!" She whispered harshly.

"What?" He smirked. He could see her blushing through the phone. Her silence told him that she was actually curious, despite her best efforts to sound shocked. "I'm working on a fantasy for later."

"I should hang up on you." She said, trying to maintain her innocence.

"But you won't." He laughed, not threatened by her attempts to sound serious. Lorelei called Rory's name as she walked through the front door.

"Mom's home. I gotta go."

"That's convenient." He almost didn't believe her.

"And true." She said.

"Merry Christmas Tristan."

"Merry Christmas Mare." She hung up the phone and opened her door.

"Hey kid. What are you up to?"

"Just talking to Tristan. Apparently there's a blizzard and he's going stir crazy."

"Oh, that's too bad." She said absentmindedly.

"Food?" Rory asked.

"I brought Luke's." She said as she pointed to the bags on the counter.

"What's up?" She asked as she reached into the bag. "You're all, spacey."

"Luke's acting weird."

"Weird how?" Lorelei sighed.

"We kind of, kissed the other day." Rory choked on her French fry.

"And you didn't tell me?"

"Well, I didn't really know what was going on."

"Stop, sit, tell me everything."

"We were at the diner, it was just him and me talking, you know, and the next thing I know, we're kissing."

"Did he kiss you or did you kiss him?"

"I'm not sure. It was mutual, I think." She thought about it. "Oh God, what if it wasn't? What if it was just me and now he's thinking I tried to jump him in his own diner." She folded her arms and laid her head down on the table.

"You've got to talk to him."

"Right. Like that's going to work."

"It's better than sitting here overanalyzing why he gave you four packets of ketchup instead of three."

"He gave us four?" Rory just rolled her eyes.

"Not the point."

"Okay, okay. I'll talk to him about it."

"Good."

OOOOO

The time flew by and soon it was the Gilmore family's annual New Year's Eve party. All of society attended, including the DuGrays. Tristan was anxiously awaiting his girlfriend when he spotted her across the room. She reached the bottom of the stairs and felt his eyes on her. Turning instinctively to the right, she saw him in his tux. His heart stopped, stunned simply by her presence. Her dark emerald green dress was perfectly hugging her curves, her hair in loose curls but pulled over her right shoulder. She walked over to him slowly, crossing the room gracefully as if she had been taught.

"Hi." She said with a smile. Tristan was having a hard time breathing, let alone talking, but he found the strength to mutter a couple of syllables.

"Wow. You are…" He couldn't finish. "Wow." He said again. She laughed at him. The music was starting and Tristan offered her his hand.

"You too." He shook his head and pulled her close.

"I didn't do it justice." He whispered softly in her ear, his patented smirk fading in comparison with something more true. When she looked at him strangely, "In my head, I didn't do it justice." She blushed. "So, how does it feel?" He asked, changing the subject.

"How does what feel?" He just smiled at her naivete.

"To be the most beautiful woman in the room." She rolled her eyes. He just turned her around to face the rest of the room, all of whom were staring at the young couple. When he pulled her back in, she shrugged it off. "Well you are." Wrapping her arms around him tighter, she breathed him in.

"I missed you." She said, thankful just to be able to touch him again.

"You have no idea." They danced and talked the night away, until the fateful moment when they began the countdown.

"You know what they say, whoever's arms you're in at midnight is who you are going to spend the rest of the year with." Rory said as the crowd counted down from thirty.

"Then hold on tight, because you aren't going anywhere." He said as he stood in front of her. She smiled and started to count down as well.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five…"

"Rory," She looked up at him. "I love you."

"Happy New Year!" The crowd cheered as everyone began kissing and hugging around them. Rory just stared into his eyes, trying to read his face. He had never said those words to anyone, including his own parents. He also knew that the first time it was said to her, she couldn't say it back. His heart was racing as he thought about what her reaction would be. Without saying a word, she leaned up and kissed him, letting her actions speak for her. Deepening the kiss, Tristan thought his chest would explode from happiness at any given moment. Pulling away slightly, she rested her forehead against his.

"I love you too." She said with a smile. He picked her up and spun her around, the train of her dress following behind. They had only been dating a few months, but Rory was already feeling things she never thought were possible. She would do anything for him. Taking his hand, she led him out of the crowded and noisy room and led him up the stairs. He wanted nothing more than to ask where they were going, but he didn't want to ruin whatever she had planned. She opened a door and pulled him inside.

"Where are we?" He asked as he turned on a light.

"My 'bedroom'." She said putting air quotes around the word. "My grandparents want me to have a space that's just mine." She leaned against him and kissed him again, this time taking it up a notch.

"I missed you." He groaned against her lips. She giggled and sat down on the bed. He sat down next to her and she reached for his hand. He gave her his left hand and reached into his jacket pocket with his right. "Merry Christmas." He said as he handed her the box. She smiled and reached into her nightstand and pulled out a gift for him. "Open yours first." He said.

"Okay." She tore the wrapping paper off the box and opened it. "Tristan!" She gasped.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it!" It was a gorgeous silver bracelet. "Thank you." She said as she kissed him. "Help me put it on!" She said, rushing her excited words. He did as she commanded and as he ran his finger over the skin of her wrist, she couldn't help but shiver.

"Looks good." He said, as he tilted his head to the side to examine his work.

"It's beautiful. Okay." She said, handing him his present. "Your turn." He tore the wrapping paper off the box and opened the lid. It was a framed photo of the two of them taken that fall, right before they had started dating. He lifted the photo out to examine it. They looked so…content. In the picture they were sitting on her front porch swing, facing each other. She was chatting, gesturing with her hands and he was staring intently at her, a huge smile on his face. It was the perfect picture. He smiled.

"Where did you get this?" He asked, not remembering the photo being taken.

"Mom took it when we were out on the porch swing one night. She gave it to me after we started dating. She said she knew at that moment that we were going to be more than just friends."

"Thank you." He said. This is the first Christmas present I've gotten that wasn't material, he realized. It meant more to him than he could say.

"There's more." She said.

"Oh yeah?" She nodded as she took the frame from him and opened the back. Behind the picture were two tickets to The Killers. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"Ror, how did you get these?"

"I've got people." She said with a laugh. Unable to say anything he just stared at her. "Merry Christmas, Tristan."

"Happy New Year." He corrected her. "It's going to be a good year." He said.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: I wrote this chapter quickly and in the middle of the night so if there are tons of errors, be kind.

"Lorelei, look who I found!" Emily pushed her way through the crowd towards her daughter.

"Chris! What are you doing here?"

"Emily invited me when she found out I was living in Boston." He smiled.

"Well this is a surprise." Richard said as he saw the three of them huddled together. "How are you doing Christopher?"

"Doing very well, and yourself?" He asked as he glanced toward Lorelei.

"Good! Good!"

"Christopher, have you seen Rory tonight? I must say she looks absolutely beautiful." Emily said as she searched the room for her.

"I have not."

"Where could she have gone?"

"You know what? I think she went upstairs to get something out of her bag." Richard said, trying to help his wife out.

"The girls are staying here tonight, we don't want them driving back. Feel free to do the same. It's a long way back to Boston." Emily said. Lorelei took Chris's hand.

"I'll find her. She probably went to go exchange Christmas presents with Tristan." She said sweetly as she ran away from her parents as quickly as possible.

"I am sorry about that."

"Tristan, as in the new boyfriend?" Chris asked, as if he had the right to know.

"Yeah, former friend, now boyfriend." She laughed, realizing those terms fit her current relationship with Luke now too. "You've never met him, but you'll know him."

"What do you mean?"

"He's the spitting image of you when you were sixteen." She said, trying to act like that didn't bother her.

"Ah." He said, knowing every detail just from the sound of her voice. It was a relief to her that she never had to explain anything with Chris. He just knew.

"Ror?" Lorelei shouted down the massive hallway, not knowing where to start.

"We're in here!" She called out from her bedroom.

"So not our kid." He muttered, surprised that she would want to be found at all, let alone with her boyfriend in the room.

"Door open, clothes on, it's like they want to be found." Lorelei teased as they walked down the hall.

"What's up?" Rory asked as her mom came into view.

"Look who stopped by for a visit." She said as she gestured to Christopher. Chris's heart stopped at the first sight of his daughter standing in her formal dress, hair done, makeup flawless. It didn't help that she was next to a man in what used to be a tux, before the tie and jacket had been carelessly thrown on a chair. Maybe it was the house, maybe it was just the fact that his daughter was practically grown, but he needed a minute to catch his breath.

"Dad!"

"Hey Kiddo. You look amazing!" He examined her after hugging her close.

"What are you doing here?" Although it was a valid question, he hated that they always had to ask.

"Your grandma invited me, and who am I to turn down an invitation to the Gilmore's?"

"A sane person who isn't obligated to be here." Lorelei chimed in. "Speaking of which," she said as she turned to Tristan, "did you get your present yet?"

"I did! It was fantastic, thank you." He said.

"I would just like to add that on the rare occasion that you two are in a fight, or Rory has to study, I would be more than willing to fill that empty seat." She offered.

"I'll remember that." He laughed.

"Oh, Dad. This is my boyfriend Tristan. Tristan, this is my dad."

"Hi. Nice to finally meet you." Tristan said as he offered his hand.

"You too." Just then, Tristan's cell phone rang. He cringed.

"That would be my mother wondering why I'm not home yet." He said as he confirmed the caller ID. "I gotta go." Rory smiled her okay. "Thanks for the present."

"You too." She said as she held up her wrist. "Oh! Did you get your bow tie?" She asked, looking around the room for it and knowing that he never left it on for more than a second longer than he needed to. He smiled as he held it up in his hand.

"But I love you for remembering."

"Someone has to."

"I'll call you tomorrow." He said as he kissed her briefly.

"Okay, love you." She smiled.

"Love you too. Bye Lorelei. Sir." He said as he left the room.

"Bye." Lorelei said, making sure he was gone before grabbing Rory's wrist. "Shiny! Let me see!" She said as she analyzed the bracelet.

"Did he just call me Sir?" Chris wanted to know, but his girls were too busy.

"He's got good taste, I'll give him that." Lorelei said with a smile.

"And if he's the man I know he is," Rory rolled her eyes "which he is, he just bought the whole set and will dole them out as occasion calls for it. I'll get the necklace for Valentine's day and the earrings for my graduation."

"Maybe if you're really lucky, you two will get into a fight, he'll feel bad, and he'll hand one over early." Chris said, playing into their game. Rory loved that her dad could blend in so easily into their lives. He wasn't afraid or timid. He fell right in line like he had never left.

"How do you know they'll go in that order?" Lorelei asked.

"Because he moves by the number of diamonds. It's an old trick that his grandfather taught him. None in the bracelet, one on the necklace, two in the earrings, so on and so forth." Rory said.

"Well at least he has a system." Chris said, slightly impressed that Rory would know this about her boyfriend.

"Wait…a diamond ring only has one diamond. Wouldn't that be going backwards?" Lorelei said. "He could never propose."

"First of all, Tristan has never gotten past the necklace. It implies commitment. But, theoretically, Tristan's type of ring will definitely contain more than one diamond." Rory said with a satisfied smile. "He likes to spoil."

"No matter what I say in the future, I love that you decided to move up in the world." Lorelei said.

OOOOO

"_Okay, I think we have it all figured out." Lorelei said as she walked into the room. "Rory is going to stay here in Hartford and hang out with Tristan. I'm leaving the jeep with her because Tristan has basketball practice and can't bring her home which means that you" she pointed at Chris "get to take me back to Stars Hollow on your way home."_

"_I would love to." Chris said._

Chris was seriously starting to question his judgement. He had agreed because he wanted to talk to Lorelei, but the trip back had been silent. Lorelei wasn't in the mood to talk and Christopher didn't know how to say what he had come to say.

"So what are you really doing here?" Lorelei asked Christopher as he walked her to her front door.

"I told you. I was invited to the party."

"You stayed. And now you're walking me to my front door…in Stars Hollow. What's up Chris?" She said, wanting to know the truth. "This isn't like you."

"Look, I know that in the past, I haven't been around. But I want to change that, and I certainly don't want to miss anymore." Lorelei sighed.

"We don't want you to miss anymore either. We like having you around."

"And now that Rory has applied to Harvard, there's a strong possibility that she's going to be in Boston with me." The thought made Lorelei's stomach plummet.

"I guess."

"Lor, I want you to trust me enough to let me be a regular in Rory's life."

"I do." She said, not entirely sure of the statement. Chris just looked at her, letting her know she wasn't convincing. "I'll try, but you have to earn that trust."

"That's all I'm asking." He said. "And then, someday, maybe you'll trust me enough to let me be a regular in your life too." Lorelei just stared at him, surprised that he would ask for so much. Their intense gaze was broken as Christopher kissed her before he walked back to his car.

"Hey!" She called out, following him down the steps. "I love that you want to be involved in Rory's life. Really, I do." She said.

"But." He heard it coming a mile away.

"But I'm with someone, and you can't just kiss me whenever you want anymore." She said, getting angry.

"Right, Luke, the diner guy." He said, clearly not thinking much of the man.

"Yes, Luke!" She turned away, unable to even look at him when he acted like this. "God! You can be so…" She yelled frustrated at the sky. "And you do not get to take that tone about him, okay? He has been nothing but good and strong and here for us. He was the one who fixed our house, kept us fed, and he was there when we needed him." She realized she was repeating herself, but she didn't care. "He is family. All of these people are our family, they come first." She yelled, letting her anger getting the best of her. Turning around, she walked into the house. Slamming the front door, she ran straight to the telephone and dialed the number from memory.

"Luke?"

OOOOO

"Can we talk about last night?" Rory asked over lunch with Tristan.

"What about it?" He asked absentmindedly as he picked through his pasta.

"I was just thinking this morning that if I had been any other girl, last night would have been…different." He put down his fork and stared at her, giving her his undivided attention.

"What the Hell are you talking about?" He asked with a slow-spreading smile.

"Something in our relationship changed last night and I think that if I were to pick the night that you and I..." she lowered her voice as she leaned across the table "it would have been last night." She let him know. Tristan cleared his throat, unsure of what to say.

"Why are you telling me this?" He asked, not wanting to be rude or careless, but truly wanting to know.

"I don't know." He nodded, for lack of anything else to do. "But the more I'm around you, the harder it is to say no." She confessed. Her words took the wind right out of him. Although it was nice to know that she was struggling as well. "I'm waiting until it is right, but last night felt pretty right." The thought alone blindsided him. Her unfailing trust in him made his pulse race. He stuck to his memorized line, simply because he didn't know what else to say.

"I promise, nothing's going to happen until you are one hundred and twenty percent sure that it's something you want." He said as he held her hand. "And if you ever want to ask a question or try something, let me know." He said.

"Really?" She asked, surprised by his offer.

"Ror, I know you. You're a student by nature." She blushed, knowing that he was probably right and thankful that he knew her so well.

"So, we'll start… working up to it?" She questioned.

"Yeah." He nodded, finding it an appropriate concept.

"Okay." She said, certain of herself once again. "Now how do I tell my mother?" Tristan scoffed and threw up his hands, not wanting to touch that subject with a ten-foot pole.

"Gently." He offered.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Lorelei?" Luke came rushing over as soon as he got her message.

"In here." She said as she stood up to meet him with a hug. She looked like she had been crying.

"Are you okay? I didn't understand anything you said on the phone." He asked as he rubbed her back.

"Christopher showed up last night at my parent's party." She spit his name out like she hated him. "He spent the night, brought me home today and then, when we're standing on the front porch he just starts in about how when Rory's accepted to Harvard she's going to be in Boston with him, and how he needs to be a part of her life now." She sniffed. "And then he said he's going to try and weasel his way into my life so we can finally be family."

"He said that?"

"Well, I added the weasel part but yeah. Can you believe that? After all these years he just shows up and says, I'm ready, let's be a family. And the worst part of it is… he's right. He's going to get Rory and he's going to have a relationship with her and I'm glad for that, but he's no good, Luke."

"He is not going to get Rory. She will always be your daughter."

"That's not the worst part." She said with a pout. "He tried to kiss me."

"He what?"

"He kissed me! I shoved him off and told him that I was with you and he couldn't just kiss me like that and then, he got all condescending about our relationship and I lost it. I freaked out and started yelling about how you were our family and he was just some guy from high school who barely knew us, which isn't true but it felt true at the time because I was defending you and us and our life here." She was pacing by now, working out all of her anger and while Luke was worried about her, he found it all to be kind of adorable.

"Lor." He stuck his hand out to stop her. She stopped at his command. He pulled her over and kissed her, surprising her enough to take her breath away. Once she adjusted to the kiss, she got lost in it. This was only her second time 'officially dating Luke' but she loved kissing him. The way he wrapped his arm around her and held her still, even when she was a nervous wreck, was so calming. He was a perfect opposite to her and exactly what she needed. She pulled away and stared at him for a second before silently taking his hand and pulling him up the staircase to her bedroom.

OOOOO

"Mom! You home?" Rory cried as she entered the house.

"Oh my God Rory." Lorelei slapped her forehead. "Get dressed!" She rushed him. "Hurry!" They threw their clothes on lightening quick and Lorelei paused to breathe.

"Hey kid." She called as she led Luke down the stairs. "Do you remember the other thing I was going to have Luke look at when he stopped by? I got him to fix that chair that I put all my clothes on, but I can't remember what the other thing was." Rory shook her head.

"I thought that was just it."

"Hmm. Oh well. I'll remember it eventually." She said. "You'll just have to come over again." She said, a hint of dirty in her voice.

"I can do that, but I should be getting back. Cesar and the dinner crowd."

"Right. Sorry. I should have thought about that before I called you over."

"Don't worry about it. I'll see you later. Bye Rory."

"Bye Luke." She said, none the wiser. Lorelei breathed a sigh of relief. Luke was always around and she never brought home boyfriends so of course Rory had no reason to think otherwise.

"So how was your date with Tristan?"

"Good. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about him."

"Okay…" She said, sitting down at the table.

"We told each other I love you." Lorelei smiled at Rory's goofy grin.

"Aw, hon, I'm happy for you."

"Yeah, I mean, we've both felt it for awhile, but there was something about last night…it felt bigger than us."

"What do you mean?"

"Like maybe this wasn't just a high school thing. For the first time, it sort of felt like the beginning of something amazing."

"Really?" Lorelei said, surprised by her daughter's confession. "What do you mean?"

"It felt, strong, comfortable, safe. I trust him, you know, with anything and everything. We talk about things that I don't even know that I would share with Lane or you. And because of that trust, he's matured so much this past year. He would do anything for me, and not because he has to, but because he would do anything to make me happy. We balance each other out, you know? And that made us good friends, but it makes us great partners." She stopped to think about what she wanted to say. "I just wanted to let you know that this is getting pretty serious."

"How serious?"

"We'll see where college takes us, serious." She said. "I mean, I can't realistically make any plans until I know where we are going to college. He wants Princeton, I want Harvard, but if we make it through college…" she paused.

"You think you could marry him?" Rory smiled.

"I hope that someday, far far away in the future, nothing would make me happier."

"Wow." She said, "I don't know what to say."

"Do you think I'm crazy?" Rory asked her mother. "I've never felt this way about anyone. It's scary."

"You're not crazy. You're in love." She comforted her daughter. "You look at Tristan like I used to look at Christopher." Rory sobered up at this thought.

"That's great," she said, realizing the implications her mother was putting on their relationship.

"Rory, that's not a bad thing. I loved your dad, so much."

"But…"

"But nothing. I will always hold a spot in my heart for your dad. He was my first love and no one could ever take that away. Sometimes, the person you love just doesn't turn out to be the right person for you in the long run."

"Do you still love him?" Rory asked.

"I love what he was for me. I love that he gets me without explanation. I love that we know each other inside out and backwards. I love that he gave me you." She smiled. "But it didn't work out."

"Because of me?"

"Not because of you. Never because of you." She shook her head. "Because your dad has always been a little immature. He fit perfectly for what I needed in high school, but I outgrew him, as sad as that is."

"Do you think Tristan and I will fall apart in college?" Lorelei shrugged.

"No one knows until it happens. I think you should love each other now and let each other grow. If you both can do that, be okay with big changes, who knows?"

OOOOO

"Hey." Tristan said as Rory met him at his locker.

"Hi. How was your day?" She asked.

"Long. I hate the first week after break." He muttered as he threw his books in his locker.

"It's the worst." She agreed.

"But you are here now, which makes it better." He said as he planted a chaste kiss on her lips.

"Glad to be of service." She smiled. "Want to buy me a coffee?"

"Yes, but I have my last basketball game tonight." He said. "Want to come watch?"

"Sure?" She smiled, wanting to make him happy.

"Really? Great! I'll see you at seven." He said as he started to walk away.

"Tristan? I was kidding! Please don't make me." She pouted in the same voice. He laughed at her request.

"Relax Mary." He said with a smile. "I was just kidding. I never expected you there. But maybe you could celebrate with me after?" He asked, wanting to spend that time with her.

"Don't you have team stuff?" He shook his head. "Great, I'll pick you up here when you are done."

OOOOO

"DuGray, aren't you coming to the team party?" Zac asked as they left the locker room. He just shook his head.

"Got a girl waiting." He said simply as he walked away. He saw her waiting in the parking lot and a smile tugged at his lips. God he was tripping over himself with her. He never thought that he could fall in love, as jaded as that sounds. Now, he couldn't imagine a life without her.

"You ready?" She asked. He just nodded. "What do you want to do tonight?"

"I've got some ideas." He said as she bit her lip.

OOOOO

Tristan pulled up to his favorite hidden make-out spot. It was a picnicking spot in the summer, but this time of year, no one was around. Throwing the car into park, he turned to face her.

"Are you nervous?" He asked.

"About what?" She wanted to know.

"I don't know, you look like you want to say something." She didn't say anything, just looked down at her hands.

"I was talking to my mom today, about you."

"Oh yeah?" She nodded, still not making eye contact.

"She said that I look at you like she used to look at my dad." From the way she said it, Tristan knew that wasn't a good thing. "And I wanted to say that she was wrong about us, that we were a different case, but I couldn't." She looked out the windshield at the frozen field in front of them. "Do you think that we are going to make it through college?" Finally facing him, he was confronted by the look of worry in her eyes.

"I don't know." He said honestly. "I hope so."

"I've spent so much time worrying about getting into Harvard, it never occurred to me that I would actually have to leave the people here." He smiled.

"You are lucky. To be so torn about leaving your home." He said. "I don't have that problem."

"You have me." She said.

"And trust me, that is going to be hard enough." He said, putting his hand on hers.

"I'm sorry. We came here and now I can't stop talking." She said.

"I would rather talk with you than do anything with anyone else." He said. "You're my best friend, Ror." She nodded as she looked out the window again.

"Are you okay?" He asked, knowing she was in a thinking mood tonight. She smiled.

"I'll be fine."

"I know you will, but that's not what I asked." He said.

"Everything is just piling one on top of the other and sometimes I feel like it's too much."

"I know what you mean."

"It's nice to just sit out here with you, run away from it for awhile."

"Then that's what we will do." He said as he flipped his seat back so he could stare at the roof of his car. She laughed and followed him.

"I could lay out here all night." She said.

"They'd find us frozen tomorrow morning, huddled together for heat." He smiled and she laughed. The sound reverberated throughout his body and he couldn't help but stare. Rory caught him admiring her and she smiled.

"What is it?"

"I love you." He told her, wanting her to know how much she moved him.

"I love you too." And just for that moment, that was enough.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Rory had originally come over to help Tristan with his homework. They both knew that he was smart enough, but he just needed someone to stand over him and watch him do it. They were both suffering from a severe case of Senioritis, but Rory was the perfect motivation for him. He could finish his work, then he could play. The basketball season had ended, college applications had been sent out and they had been spending a lot more time with each other lately. Tristan glanced at the clock. They had been making out for at least twenty minutes and he knew that she was going to be pulling away soon. Despite their agreement to slowly work up to having sex, they could only go so far before actually having sex.

"Tristan." She pulled away from him.

"Okay," He muttered, silently laughing to himself.

"Can we keep going?" She asked. Thinking he had heard her wrong, he stopped to look at her.

"Did you just say what I think you said?" He asked seriously.

"Yeah, I did." Sighing, he climbed off of her. "What are you doing?" She actually sounded put out by the fact that he wasn't cooperating.

"You can't just give me the go-ahead nod." He said. "We have to talk about this."

"We have. I want you to be my first, Tristan." She said seriously. His eyes went to the corner of the room, he couldn't look at her when she was talking like that. "Hey, look at me." She put her hand under his chin. "Talk to me about this. What are you thinking?"

"Why now?"

"Tristan, I love you. You knew that this was going to happen eventually."

"This is going to change… everything. You do realize that right?"

"I'm a virgin, Tristan, not an idiot." She got off the bed.

"Don't get upset. I just don't want you to do something you might regret later."

"Why would I regret having sex with you?" Rory stopped and analyzed his face. "Oh my God." She said. "Are you having sex with someone else?" Tristan's head shot up.

"What?! No!" He yelled. "Absolutely not! God how could you think that?" He asked.

"Well, you're Tristan DuGray and you're turning down sex. Is it me? Do you not want to sleep with me?"

"Yes, I mean no. I don't know what to say to you." He said, clearly confused by the situation.

"Explain it to me." He sighed.

"We've been dating three months. You couldn't even say I love you to Dean after dating him three months. Now you want to have sex?"

"You think it's too soon?" She wanted to know.

"You've been waiting eighteen years for the right moment." He looked at her.

"I've waited eighteen years for the right person Tristan, and you are that person."

"How do you know?" He asked.

"I just know!" Rory yelled, frustrated at him.

"I don't want to fight with you about this." He said, knowing that any moment that they were just in the middle of had completely been annihilated.

"Well then you should have said yes!" Tristan scoffed and bit back a laugh. He glanced at Rory. His eyes were gleaming with something that he thought was hilarious. "What?" She asked. "Go ahead, say it. I'm already pissed, what do you have to lose?" He finally burst out laughing.

"You're not pissed. You're sexually frustrated," he realized "and you're taking it out on me." He said with a laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" She said, trying to stay mad.

"You just yelled at me because I wouldn't have sex with you. You!" He said as he pointed to her. "It's funny." He said.

"It's not funny!" She said, biting back a smile. "I was trying to have a serious conversation with you."

"No, you were trying to slip it past me. I must say I am pretty impressed."

"Shut up."

"No really, you were smooth. Wait until I'm all revved up and think that I won't think twice about sleeping with you. You've come a long way Gilmore." Acting appalled, she scoffed and folded her arms over her chest.

"You were the one who turned me down, DuGray. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you liked not having sex with me. Talk about being whipped." She said, pushing every button he had.

"Come here." He said, walking towards her.

"No." She shook her head and smiled.

"Come here." He said with a mischievous grin as he chased her over the bed and finally tackled her to the floor.

"Ah!" She squealed as he pinned her to the floor. Wiggling underneath him, she was powerless to move.

"I love you." He said with a happy smile. "And if you really think you're ready, I'd be more than willing to oblige."

"Really?" Her blue eyes shining with hope. He nodded.

"If you're really sure this is what you want." He said.

"I want it to be special, but I also want my first time to be real. This is where our relationship started." She said as she pointed towards the bed. "It feels…right." She said with a smile.

"Good to know." He said with a grin.

"But Tristan?"

"Yeah."

"As confident as I may have seemed back there, I'm still going to need you to walk me through it. I have no idea what I'm doing." He smiled.

"There's the girl I fell in love with." He said with a kiss. The sweet kiss made Rory melt a little inside. They got up off the floor and Rory put herself together again. "You're leaving me?" He asked as she got ready to slip out the door.

"Yep, but the next time we're making out, you can tutor me." Rory said with a little too much innocence. Tristan groaned and rested his forehead against hers.

"That's just mean." He said.

"But it's going to keep you thinking about me, and next time you won't think twice." She kissed him.

OOOOO

"Hey, I was thinking of coming over tonight, what do you think?" Rory asked at school later that week.

"Since when do you ask permission to come over to my house?" He asked her as he shut his locker.

"Since our discussion the other night." She said bluntly. Realization dawned on him and he nodded.

"Got it." He said. "My parents won't be home, if that's what you are asking." He smiled at her covert nature, like anyone could possibly imagine what the two of them were talking about right now.

"Good. I'll meet you back here after school."

"Hey, what does your mom say about all of this?" He asked, knowing that he would probably be in deep with Lorelei the next time he saw her.

"Don't worry, we talked about it." Rory said simply as she walked off to her next class.

"That doesn't really answer my question." He yelled after her. She gave a shrug but didn't turn around.

OOOOO

Tristan had spent the rest of his afternoon thinking about how he was going to have sex with Rory. He couldn't even begin to concentrate on anything else. He was nervous, but Rory was even more nervous. She was a little comforted by the fact that Tristan was tapping his steering wheel to the music, something he only did when he was thinking. If you asked him, he probably wouldn't even realize that he doing it. Now that they had talked about having sex, the sexual tension was just hanging in the air.

"This is awkward." Rory said, breaking the silence that had enveloped the car.

"Just a little." Tristan said with a smile. Maybe he shouldn't have asked questions before when she asked to go further.

"It doesn't have to be." She said.

"No, you're right." He said, nodding his head.

"We just have to get it over with." She said. "Not, get it over with, but you know. Do it already."

"I know what you meant." He said with a laugh as he pulled into his driveway. As they climbed the steps to his bedroom, Rory suddenly wasn't that nervous. She threw her bag in the corner as if she lived there, which she practically did. Tristan smiled as he locked the bedroom door

"I love that." He said as he grabbed her wrist and spun her around. Rory stared at him.

"Huh?" He glanced towards her bag and she shrugged, understanding what he meant.

"You're a creature of habit, it's adorable." He said with a kiss.

"We've known each other for three years. I've gotten a comfortable system down, don't break me of it now."

"I wouldn't dare." He said, feigning seriousness. Rory escaped his embrace and wandered over to his bed. She fell onto it, her head hitting the pillow just right.

"See? I've even got a spot sunk into your mattress." She said with a grin.

"That's my favorite habit." He said as he climbed on top of her. He leaned down and brushed his lips against her nose.

"Kiss me." She whispered. Her voice pulled him towards her in a way he wasn't expecting. It was almost as if he had no self-control over himself, as if her own thoughts and wishes moved him into action. He was prepared to settle into his own comfortable routine, but was surprised to find something else behind Rory's kiss that was unlike anything he had ever experienced. He groaned as she brushed her fingers across his skin as she worked to remove his tie. He broke the kiss as he stopped to remove his shirt. Helping him toss it over his shoulder, Rory smiled as she pulled him back down towards her.

The kiss got hot fast and Tristan felt himself harden as Rory wrapped her legs around his waist. He lifted her onto his lap and began unbuttoning her shirt. He sucked gently on her earlobe, causing her to let out a moan of delight. His lips left a hot trail down her neck, collarbone and onto the front of her chest. This was as far as they had ever gone, but Rory wanted nothing more than to give in to the feeling that was pulsing through her veins. Tristan glanced at her before letting his fingers slip underneath the straps of her bra and unclasp it. Nearly going dizzy from the sight, Tristan kissed Rory fiercely as he pushed her back onto the bed before finally allowing himself to wrap his wet mouth around her nipple. Rory's fingers clenched a lock of Tristan's hair as she bucked against him at the sensation. She had never experienced an orgasm, but she had a feeling that she was about to.

"God, Rory, you taste so good." He moaned before taking the other breast in his mouth.

"Tristan," she begged. "Please. I want you so much it hurts." She whimpered. Realizing that this was the first time she had done this, Tristan gave her some sympathy. He unzipped her skirt and pulled it off, noticing for the first time how wet she was. Suddenly becoming self-conscious, Tristan kissed her again as he pulled her underwear off, leaving her completely exposed.

"You are, without a doubt, the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." He said with such worship that Rory closed her eyes, overwhelmed by his love. "But we could do this without actually having sex." Tristan said quietly as he examined her eyes. Rory shook her head.

"I want my first time to be with you, all of you." She said, trying to be brave. He nodded.

"Okay." He said as he grazed her forehead with his lips. He reached into his dresser drawer and pulled out a condom. Removing his pants, he ripped the foil packet and pulled out the condom. Rory couldn't help but stare as he slipped it over his throbbing penis. Swallowing, Rory laid back and tried to breathe. "How you doin' Mare?" He asked, trying to be comforting. "Do you want to take a minute?" She shook her head.

"I want you to keep kissing me." She said as he laid back over her. Following her orders, he went back to making out with her, if only for a few minutes. Rory found herself opening up to him and soon, she felt him shift her body so he could enter her.

"This is going to sting a little." He warned. With a kiss, Rory inhaled sharply as his length entered her. He felt her fingernails dig into his shoulder blade. "You okay?" She nodded and kissed him again. Slowly, he began to move within her. Rory's eyes fluttered shut, her body instinctively working for her own pleasure.

"Tris," she moaned, trying to form words. She was fighting the feeling, unsure of what was going to happen.

"Shh. Relax, Ror. It's a good feeling, focus on that feeling." He grunted as he worked to get her off.

"Oh God." She cried as her abdomen began to tighten. She didn't know why, but she felt the pull from the top of her head to her curling toes. Tristan reached down and rubbed her clit and Rory's world exploded behind her eyelids. She yelled his name as the aftershocks rumbled throughout her body. Unable to hold on any longer, Tristan came almost as soon as she did. Collapsing, he left her, making her feel strangely empty inside. Shaking, he discarded the used condom before turning to check on her. Rory just put up her hand, non-verbally asking him for a second to process what she had just experienced. Once she had composed herself, she turned to face him.

"Hi." He said with a smile.

"Hi." She rolled over on top of him, wanting to feel that closeness again. They intertwined legs and she placed her head under his chin. Tristan grabbed her hand and interlocked their fingers as well.

"What are you thinking?" He asked. "Was it everything you thought it would be?"

"You were… so good to me." She said. "I can't imagine doing this with anyone else but you." She felt his chest stop moving as the breath caught in his throat. She moved to see his face, wanting to know what he was thinking. "What?" He kissed her forehead and ran a finger across her cheek.

"No one has ever put that much faith in me. Thank you." She nodded as they both blinked back some tears that were threatening to escape. She laughed at herself as Tristan exhaled loudly, the seriousness of the conversation taking its toll on the two.

"Okay, change of subject?" She asked. Tristan just shook his head.

"I've been thinking a lot lately about you and me." He said as he ran his fingers up and down her back.

"Oh yeah?" She said with a smile. "What were you thinking about?"

"Our future, college, life."

"You're going to ruin this moment by talking about serious stuff, aren't you?" She teased him. Tristan chuckled.

"No," He said, changing his mind before he kissed the top of her head. He started counting in his head: one, two, three, four...

"So what do you see for our future?" She asked. He laughed at her inability to contain her curiosity.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: For Dani, who keeps begging me for more. I hope this satisfies!

Previously on Gilmore Girls:

"So what do you see for our future?" She asked. He laughed at her inability to contain her curiosity.

"College acceptance letters will determine that." He said with a shrug. "Last time I checked, Princeton and Harvard were not the same school." He said with a laugh.

"So, if colleges weren't in the way, what would you see for us?"

"Marriage." Tristan's hand stopped running over her back, waiting for her response.

"Really?" She pulled away and sat up.

"Well not tomorrow, but eventually."

"Tristan, you can't even commit to a car for longer than six months." She said.

"I've been with you for years, Ror. And I know that you're completely freaked out right now, but I've never loved anyone as much as I love you, and I can't imagine a life without you in it."

"I'm not freaked out." She said honestly. "You're actually being serious?"

"Never." He said with a smirk. She hit him playfully. "Yeah, I am."

"Are you pre-proposing to me? Because I've always wanted to wait until after college to get married."

"The first thing you have to know about having _really_ great sex," he said, over-emphasizing the really. "is that it makes you all tired, weak and vulnerable and you always say things that you never planned on saying out loud." He said as he pulled her close. "It's kind of like being drunk."

"I've never been drunk before." Rory said.

"It's an analogy…Mare." He added, chuckling at the fact that she was still, and would always be, his Mary. He kissed her sweetly, but pulled away with a groan when her phone started ringing.

"It's Mom." She said, recognizing the ringtone before she even climbed over the bed and answered her phone. "Hello?"

"They're here." Lorelei practically yelled into the phone.

"What's there?"

"Envelopes, big ones, from Harvard, Yale, Princeton… I think you swept the Ivy Leagues, kid." Rory shot out of bed and started getting dressed.

"Okay, I'm at Tristan's. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Have him drive you okay? Be safe." Rory hung up her phone and threw her clothes on as fast as she could.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"College acceptance letters, a lot of them." She muttered as she put on her shirt and started fumbling with the buttons.

"We didn't check the mail when we came in." He realized as he slid into his boxers and ran downstairs. By the time that he had come back to his room, Rory was dressed and looking perfect. Surprised by the sight, he took a second to look her over.

"Well?' She asked impatiently. He smiled.

"Dartmouth." He said as he held the big envelope up. She covered her mouth. "Yale." He said as he held another one up.

"I didn't know you applied to Yale." She said. Moving another envelope from behind the other two with his thumb, he showed her the return address corner of the hidden envelope.

"Harvard. Just in case." Noticing the confused look on her face, he laughed.

"Your backup school was Harvard? But your dad went to Harvard."

"Good point." He said. "It's a good thing that I won't be needing a back up since I got accepted to Princeton." He said as he showed her the final envelope.

"You got in!" She smiled the biggest smile he had ever seen. "Tristan!" She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. "I am so proud of you." She kissed him. "Why aren't you freaking out?" She asked. "You've always wanted to go to Princeton, your grandpa went to Princeton."

"I'm a little numb." He said. "There's been so much build up and in the end, our lives just changed in half an hour." She nodded. "It's a lot to take in."

"If I can lose my virginity, you can get accepted into the Ivy League school of your choice." She said with a kiss. "Come on, we have got to get home before my mom freaks out and opens all the envelopes without me."

OOOOO

Rory just kept staring at the notebook in her hand. She couldn't believe it. She had been sitting in study hall for the last ten minutes, trying to process what her list was telling her.

"Tris…I'm not going to Harvard." Rory said quietly. Not sure that he heard her right, he stopped and stared.

"What?"

"I made a list of all the options and it's not Harvard."

"You made a list for college? You always wanted to go to Harvard." Tristan pointed out, as if she didn't realize she had been working her whole life towards the goal.

"Well, just to make sure I wasn't letting my past bias get in the way of my future. I didn't want to make the wrong decision."

"And what did you discover?" He asked.

"Apparently I'm supposed to go to Yale." She said as she held up the tally sheet. "And I'm okay with that, both of my grandparents went to Yale, it's closer to home…" she trailed off, not sure why she needed to convince him this was what she wanted. He looked at her, and immediately sensed her need for him to be okay about this, to tell her she made the right decision.

"Well, I think it's great."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I mean, it's a little out of left field, but I want you to make the right decision and if that's Yale then it's Yale." He shrugged.

"Now how do I tell my grandparents without letting them think that this was their doing?" Tristan smiled.

"Nothing in the world is going to convince them of that."

OOOOO

Tristan walked into Luke's, desperate to find Lorelei.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" He asked as he sat down at the counter.

"About what?"

"Well, you're kind of the only person in the world right now who I can trust with the following information. The parents would freak if they knew what I was thinking."

"Ah, well, you came to the right person." She said, clearly qualified for freaking parents out.

"Rory made a list." Tristan told Lorelei.

"You're going to have to be a little more specific."

"About college. She made a list and her final result was that she wasn't supposed to go to Harvard." Lorelei nodded, knowing why he was here. "But that freaked me out. I mean, I had spent my whole life being trained to go to Princeton. It had to be the right school for me, right?" Lorelei didn't know what to say so she just waited for him to continue. He shoved a list at her.

"You made a list too?" She asked, surprised.

"And if you tell Rory, I'll kill you and make it look like an accident." He sighed. "But I did, and guess what?"

"Dirty filthy Princeton wasn't even on the list…" She discovered after reading it.

"I didn't get past Yale: Pro: Rory." He said pathetically as his forehead hit on the counter. Lorelei smiled.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Right now I'm thinking Yale was my second choice, it's a great school, maybe even better than Princeton, and Rory's there. I think I want to go to Yale."

"Did this school poison the water at Chilton or something?" Lorelei said, wanting to know why suddenly the world revolved around New Haven.

"You love that she's going to be so close, don't deny it."

"I'm not, it's just, a big change from everyone's first choice."

"Don't tell Yale that." He said.

"So you are worried about what your parents will say?"

"I'm worried that they are going to think that I'm going to Yale because Rory is going to Yale."

"Aren't you?" He shook his head.

"We agreed that our college choices would have nothing to do with each other. We would make it work."

"Well then, you have to sit down and explain everything you just told me."

"How well do you really see that working out?" Tristan asked, knowing that if Lorelei was in the same situation, that would not be the advice she wanted to hear.

"Tell them you wanted to go to Yale and Rory is following you there." Jess said as he poured a cup of coffee for Tristan. Lorelei jumped a mile.

"Gah! Stop doing that! Where did you even come from?" Lorelei asked, holding her heart.

"Really?" Tristan said.

"They'd eat it up, a good girl like Rory following their son to school. It's so Hartford." Jess mocked.

"That might actually work, besides the fact that Rory doesn't even know yet."

"Rory doesn't know what?" She said from behind them.

"Tristan is going to Yale." Jess said with a smile. Tristan glared at Jess. Rory was halfway taking off her scarf when she paused.

"What?" She looked at him, wanting verification that this was true.

"Yeah. I'm going to Yale." He told her.

"And I'm going to go." Lorelei said as she took her coffee cup and left the premises. Rory finished taking off her coat and sat down, confusion written all over her face.

"Is this because of our talk the other day?" She whispered. "Because I told you I wanted to wait until after college."

"This isn't because of you." He said. "When your list turned out differently, I made one too. Just to see what would happen. Yale won."

"You made a list?" He nodded. "Can I see it?" He shook his head. She sighed. "You're sure about this?"

"Yeah, I am." She exhaled.

"And it's not because of me?"

"No."

"Hmm." She needed the minute to process. "Is this how you felt when you found out I wasn't going to Harvard?" She asked.

"Pretty much."

"Wow. We're going to the same school." She put her hands on her forehead, unable to comprehend it. "What are you going to tell your parents?"

"That's what I need to talk to you about." He said. "Friday night dinner, do you think your grandparents would mind if my family tagged along. They've been talking about it for a while now, but if we broke the news together and your grandparents were ecstatic and mine were appalled, it might even out." Rory looked at Jess, silently asking for help.

"Are you insane?" She said, finally turning to him. "You want to put our Hartford family in one big room and tell them all at the same time that we are both going to Yale?"

"It's better than spreading it out. Get it over with all at once?" She sighed.

"We need to discuss this with my mother first."

OOOOO

"It's brilliant." Lorelei said. "This way, when their heads explode, the housekeepers will only have to shampoo the carpets once."

"Mom." Rory rolled her eyes, trying to get her to be serious.

"No, I'm serious. It's so efficient." Tristan couldn't fight chuckling at her joke. He knew that Rory was nervous and he didn't know why. She was telling her grandparents that she was following in their footsteps, he on the other hand, was telling his that he was disappointing them, yet again. He was about to knock on the door, but it swung open on it's own.

"You're here!" Emily said. Tristan lowered his raised fist and glanced at Rory. Yeah, it was going to be a long night.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Well, come in, come in. Tristan, your parents just arrived shortly before you did. They are inside." Emily said as she ushered them inside. Tristan just smiled and nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Be nice." Rory sang under her breath. He just put his arm around her and led her into the living room.

"Rory, so nice to see you!" Leah said with a smile.

"You too. How is everything?" She asked as she sat down next to Tristan on the couch.

"Great."

"This is my mother, Lorelei."

"Nice to finally meet you." Lorelei said as she shook Leah's hand.

"You too. I've heard so much about you."

"So, Tristan tells me that you two have an announcement?" Daniel DuGray said, wanting to get to the chase.

"Um, yes." Rory said with a smile. "We've picked out our college choices."

"Oh really?" Richard said, wondering why that would be an announcement. Everyone knew that Rory was going to Harvard.

"And Rory?" Emily asked, wanting her to continue. "Where were you accepted?"

"Many places, but in the end, I decided to go to Yale." She said as she watched Tristan's face, rather than her grandparents.

"As did I." Tristan said, looking his father dead in the eye.

"What?" He asked.

"Rory and I, separately, decided to go to Yale." Tristan said. "We both worried about telling each other and in the end, found out that our decision seemed to coincide."

"How wonderful." Emily said as she clasped her hands together. "You won't regret it. Yale is one of the best schools in the country."

"I thought you were accepted to Princeton?" Leah asked her son.

"I was."

"And you're choosing not to attend there?"

"No, I decided that Yale was a better fit for me."

"Well, I must say this is quite the surprise." Richard said, beaming with pride.

"Dinner is ready, Mrs. Gilmore." The maid of the week announced.

"Well, shall we eat?" Emily offered as she stood up.

"So far, so good." Rory whispered in his ear as they walked into the dining room. Tristan just sat down across the table from his parents. Rory and Lorelei sat down next to him.

"So Richard, you approve of this decision?" Daniel asked.

"Emily and I are both proud alumni of Yale, nothing would make me happier than Rory continuing that tradition."

"My father went to Princeton. I went to Harvard. Tristan is going to Yale. There will be a DuGray at every school on the East coast at this rate." He joked. Everyone chuckled politely. Tristan didn't say anything.

"So Rory, what made you decide to choose Yale?" Emily asked. "I know you were quite set on Harvard for a bit."

"Honestly? I made a pro/con list and Yale won." She said simply. "I told Tristan and he almost fell off his chair because he was thinking the same thing." She lied well; Lorelei was struck by a mix of pride and disconcertion at that fact.

"Did you make a list, Tristan?" His father asked, condescension dripping from his voice.

"Yes I did, actually. That and a lot of thinking and planning about my future and what I wanted out of my life."

"That's a commendable quality," Richard said. "I approve. Teenagers are usually so thoughtless these days. They look for the best name, or the best party school, no one really cares about what is the best school for their life anymore."

"Thank you." Tristan said, trying to be proud of himself, but finding it extremely difficult with his father across from him.

"Emily, this chicken is delicious." Leah said as she cut into her plate.

"Thank you, it's a family favorite." She smiled. "I could get the recipe for you if you like."

"I would love that." She smiled. "You know, when these two started dating, I was so surprised." She said to Lorelei.

"Mom." Tristan said with a groan.

"I never thought that Tristan would find a girl like Rory." She smiled. "I think that she has been a good influence on him."

"Well, he's been a good influence on her as well." Lorelei smiled at the boy next to her.

"They do balance each other out quite well, don't they?" Emily chimed in. Rory could feel the blood rushing to her face as they discussed their personal lives at the dinner table. Tristan just held her hand under the table. "And now that they are going to the same school…" She insinuated, knowing that everyone knew exactly what she was hinting at.

"Grandma please." Rory asked.

"Well, you two have been quite serious lately, haven't you?" Tristan's mother asked. "It's a sensible question when you tell us that you two are going to the same school. You must obviously want to stay together."

"Stay together, yes. Get married, no." Tristan clarified, starting to lose his composure.

"Emily please, they're just children." Richard reminded everyone at the table.

"Yes, but it's never too soon to start planning, is it?" Daniel said. "I mean if you two are as serious as it sounds, it's bound to happen."

"Dad." Tristan said, begging him to shut up.

"Rory would be remiss to see how much Tristan stands to inherit and not want to marry him."

"Excuse me." Rory fought the urge to stand up, wanting to defend herself. "What are you suggesting?"

"I'm not suggesting anything, dear. Just pointing out the facts."

"The facts are that I love your son, and despite your many attempts to rob him of any sense of happiness, he has managed to become a kind and loving person." Tristan stared at Rory, unable to comprehend the fact that she was standing up to his father. No one stood up to his father, including him.

"Rory!" Emily sounded shocked that her perfect granddaughter could act in such a way. "Lorelei do something." She asked.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked as her daughter continued her rant.

"And maybe we will get married some day, but I can tell you right now that it will have nothing to do with his money, or his career, or his name, because those things? Those things are what he is running from, not what he is building his life around. You see them as this dealmaker but they're not. They're a hindrance. If you knew your son at all, you would know that." She said as she threw her napkin down. "Excuse me." She said as she left the table. Both Tristan and Lorelei got up from the table to follow her. There was a long silence that enveloped the table before Emily spoke up.

"Well, who would like dessert?"

OOOOO

Tristan found Rory outside, standing in the freezing weather, pacing. He wrapped his arms around her, both trying to keep her warm in her light dress and to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry." She said into his neck. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"I know what I was thinking." He said bitterly. "Don't worry about him. I think he was actually impressed." She chuckled as she pulled away from him. Lorelei opened the door.

"I've got your coats." She said.

"Thanks, but I should go back in." Rory said.

"No." Tristan and Lorelei said in unison.

"Absolutely not." Lorelei said.

"Ror, you are a reporter, you find the truth and you say it." Tristan said. "Which is a great quality except when you are living in Hartford, Connecticut."

"Exactly. I said the truth, I meant it, I'm not sorry that I said it." She said, working her courage up to go back inside. "If I leave now, they win."

"Are you sure?" Tristan wanted to know as he glanced at Lorelei for a reaction.

"Yes." She said as she opened the door and went back into the house.

"Once more unto the breach, dear friend?" Lorelei asked as she held out her hand to Tristan. He didn't say anything, simply took a deep breath, and soldiered on.

OOOOO

"Rory, you're back." Emily said, surprised the girl would show her face again.

"Yes. Sorry about leaving earlier, I just needed a minute to clear my head." She said. Tristan and Lorelei followed behind her and sat down.

"What's for dessert?" Lorelei asked, knowing that they would have gone on without them.

"Cheesecake." The French maid spoke as she set it down.

"Looks good." Lorelei said as she picked up her fork.

"Tastes good too." Tristan added, having already taken a bite of his. The rest of the table went on with their conversation, completely forgetting that anything ever happened. But Rory and Tristan's father were locked in a silent war. When the dinner was over, everyone got up to leave except Rory and him.

"I'm assuming that it's my turn."

"It's only fair to hear both sides of the story." She answered as she leaned onto the table.

"Are you always this vivacious?" He asked.

"I tell the truth." She answered politely. "I'm going to be a journalist someday."

"Good." He smiled. "I underestimated you Rory. I figured that you were just like all the other girls my son has dated, but you're different. You don't care about his money or his name, and that's refreshing." Daniel admitted.

"I've got enough names of my own, they don't seem to do much for me." He laughed at her audacity.

"You will definitely keep Tristan in line, that's for damn sure."

"Tristan is more than capable of taking care of himself." Rory pointed out. He's been doing it his whole life, she thought. Daniel got the silent message.

"I may not be around as much as you think I should," he started.

"I've been best friends with Tristan for three years and I've never met you." She said, not letting him slide by.

"Even so, I know my son. Let me give you some advice. Tristan is going to take over our business, if not for me, then because it was what his grandfather wanted. He is going to be gone just as much as I am, he is going to work just as hard, because it's the right thing to do. If you think that your relationship can withstand that, then by all means, continue to see each other. Get married, have some kids, do whatever you like. But if you choose that life, Tristan's life, your career is going to be over before it even starts, you are going to spend the rest of your life being a wife and now that I've met you, I'm not sure that you want to do that. I'm not sure Tristan would want you to do that."

"It does not have to be all or nothing." Rory said. "People do it all the time."

"People do. They do it everyday." He agreed. "But you're not people, Rory. Tristan knows that you would never be satisfied with that kind of life. He is going to be faced with a decision once he graduates, whether you realize it now or not."

"And you're so sure that he would choose your life over his own?" She asked, not sure herself.

"The way I see it, this can end two ways. My son obviously loves you. If he stays with you, you will end up in a place you never wanted to be in, you'll resent him and Tristan will feel guilty about it for a while but then he'll resent you for resenting him. It will end badly for everyone. Tristan hates our life, as you so eloquently put it earlier this evening and I think that he would be strong enough to make that difficult decision, if he thought that he was saving you from it, no matter how much pain it would bring him. You know Tristan as well as I do, he has no problem being cold now to save others later." Rory knew that was true. He would do anything for her to be happy, including break up with her. "Just think about it. I like you Rory, I don't want to see you get messed up in this."

"Hey, are you coming?" Tristan asked as he came back into the dining room.

"Yeah," She smiled at his concerned face. "It was nice meeting you Mr. DuGray."

"You too Rory." He said. Tristan looked over her head at his father. "Meet you at the car." He told his son.

"Yeah." Tristan knew that something was up, and he didn't like that his girlfriend was alone with his father for that long unsupervised. "What was that all about?" He asked.

"Nothing. He just wanted to apologize for assuming I was a typical Hartford girl." She said. "I'll see you at school on Monday?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"My father never apologizes." Tristan said.

"He did tonight." She kissed him briefly on the lips. "I'll see you at school." He wasn't satisfied with her answer, so he had to go to the source.

OOOOO

"What were you talking to Rory about for so long?" Tristan asked his father later that evening.

"We were just apologizing to one another for tonight's excitement."

"Rory wouldn't have apologized." Tristan knew his girlfriend better than that. Daniel laughed.

"You're right about that. You've got quite a girl on your hands."

"I know."

"I was just asking what her plans for the future were. Your mother and Emily were so quick to plan a future for you two, I figured she had her own ideas. No matter what the women want, a girl like that isn't going to be a Hartford Housewife."

"Of course she's not." Tristan said. "She's going to be a journalist."

"That's what she told me." Daniel approached the next sentence carefully. "You're still planning on taking over the business, aren't you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you think that you can do both?" He asked his son.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think that you can be the C.E.O of a Fortune 500 company and be a good partner to Rory?"

"Yeah, I think I can. Why?" Tristan asked, knowing the answer was: Because I don't think you can.

"It's going to be hard."

"Just because you couldn't handle it doesn't mean that we can't." Everyone knew that the only thing keeping Tristan's parents together was a lack of a pre-nup, no matter how politely his parents acted towards each other. "Besides, that is four years from now, who knows if Rory and I will even be together."

"True." Daniel said. "I just want you to think about it."

"Okay." He agreed, just so he could get out of the room. This was just like his father. He was picturing their life four years from now and Tristan wasn't prepared to do that. Although he did want to marry Rory eventually, he couldn't guarantee they would make it that far. He had to make it through little by little. Rory knew that, she got him and the way he worked, even before they started dating. He took comfort in that fact and tried to get some rest, but his father's words were sinking in.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing

Tristan had been really quiet all week at school and Rory was starting to get concerned. She had been thinking about what Daniel had said at Friday night dinner, but she knew that if she and Tristan could make it through high school and college, there was no way that they couldn't make it through jobs.

"Are you okay?" Rory asked at her locker.

"Mmhm." Tristan said.

"I don't believe you." She said. He glanced over briefly as if to say 'I know' and she knew that he had been caught. "But when you are ready to talk about it, will you please tell me?" He paused and debated that thought.

"What if it's about you?" Tristan said, taking Rory by surprise. "If I were having a girl problem and you were my best friend, I would come to you. But now, when I want to talk about my girlfriend, I don't have a best friend to talk to about it."

"Tris, I told you when we started dating that we had to be friends first, otherwise this wasn't going to work. If you have a problem with me, you have to let me know." He sighed, knowing that she was right.

"You're honest one hundred percent of the time with me?" Tristan asked, knowing the answer was no.

"I try to be." Rory said. "Despite any previous nicknames you may have bestowed on me, I'm not perfect Tristan. I don't pretend to be." Now Tristan felt guilty for trying to pick a fight with her to make her go away.

"I'm sorry. I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately." He said as he picked up his backpack and shut his locker. "I've got to sort it out on my own."

"Tris," She stopped him with a single syllable, a fact that still amazed him after years of knowing her. He turned around and she ran up to meet him. "Your dad and I talked on Friday night about our future, and about what he thinks will happen. And by the look on your face I'm assuming you had a similar conversation." She said with a sigh. "I love you. No matter what you do with your life, that's not going to change." She went back to her locker and got the rest of her things and walked away, leaving Tristan standing in the hallway.

OOOOO

"How do you do it?" Tristan asked as he approached her the next morning.

"How do I do what?" She asked, not knowing what he was talking about.

"You always know what I'm thinking, even when I try to keep it from you, you always know."

"I know that you think you have this mysterious and sexy thing going on, but the truth is, you're not that hard to read." He smiled.

"Will you do me a favor?" He asked her.

"That depends on what it is." She said.

"Will you meet me after school. I want to take you somewhere."

"Okay." She nodded, unsure of what he had in store. "Where are we going?" She asked.

"Not telling." He shook his head. "Does that earn me a little mystery credit?" He asked.

"A little."

"Good." He said with a smile. "See you after school."

"Bye."

OOOOO

"Where are we going?" She asked as she stared out the window of his car. "I do have Friday night dinner tonight you know."

"Don't worry. I called your mom. She's cool with it."

"So, I should have packed a bag?" She asked. He shook his head.

"I thought you said that I was easy to read." He smirked, playing with her head even more.

"Shut up." She said as she pulled out a book and tried to ignore him.

"Ouch, the book freeze. It's been a while since you've pulled that one out." He said with a smile. "But don't worry, we're almost there." She looked up and out the window again as Tristan laughed in victory.

"Now I'm really going to ignore you." She said as she stuck her tongue out.

OOOOO

"Where are we?" She asked, this time out of wonder.

"Chateau DuGray." He said, in his perfect French accent. "My family owns it, but no one ever comes here anymore."

"Are we going to find a dead body inside or something?" She asked as she followed him towards the house.

"No, I stopped by last night and had it removed, just for you." He said with a playful smile Rory hadn't seen in quite some time. "Welcome." He said as he walked inside.

"This place is amazing, but why are we here?" She asked. He nodded towards the kitchen and she followed him. There were candles and a bouquet of long stem roses on the table. "What is all of this?" She asked as he lit the candles.

"I figured we needed some space to relax, a weekend away." She smiled as she noticed something glittering in the candlelight.

"Earrings." She said as she held the box up to see it better. "Valentine's day was just last month, you shouldn't have gotten me another present." She said.

"You save me sometimes, did you know that?" He asked. "When I'm lost in my own head and starting to get back to that place I was before I met you…" He paused. "You always find me and pull me back."

"You too." She smiled.

"I wanted to get back to that and being with you is the only way I know how." She smiled and looked around.

"So are there bedrooms in this abandoned house or what?" She asked with what Tristan could have sworn were Rory Gilmore's very own pair of bedroom eyes.

"Down the hall." He said quietly as she found his hand and started towards the hallway. "Wait." He said as he turned around and blew out the candles. "My father would love it if I burned the house down." She smiled.

OOOOO

As Tristan lay there, silent after their afternoon work out, Rory ran a hand across his chest.

"Do you think that I can run a company?" He turned to face her, wanting her honest opinion. She hid the look of surprise from covering her features. His confidence never wavered, and the fact that he doubted himself and his abilities was so absurd to her that it made her smile.

"Of course you can. You have the brain, the charisma, the talent." She said as she stopped. "The only question is do you _want_ to run the company?" She asked him.

"I guess with graduation coming up, I've been wondering about it more. It's not that far away." He realized.

"It's far enough." She said. "Tris, you can do anything, which I kind of hate about you considering how hard you work." He smiled, knowing she was right. He did have the ability to charm his way through life sometimes. "But you should do something that makes you happy, that you can get nerdy over."

"Like you and writing."

"Right, you could care less about what book I'm reading or how it well it was written, but Jess and I could talk all day about it and not realize time was passing by. Find your thing." She said simply.

"It's not that simple." He said.

"Yeah, it is." She smiled. "Maybe, you'll be a fantastic business guy. Maybe you'll love running the company." She said. "But if you don't, find someone who runs it better and quit. When you are in charge that's always an option."

"Hey, I love you, maybe you're my thing." He said with a grin. "Maybe I was put on this planet to get nerdy over you." He said as he buried himself in her shoulder, her soft hair tickling his cheek. She smiled and pushed him away.

"It's a good thing you have a trust fund then." She said with a grin. "Because the pay sucks."

OOOOO

"Hey, when are we going to eat?" Rory asked. Tristan had a big meal planned for dinner that evening, but they were still in bed, and he wasn't moving if he didn't have to.

"Whenever you want." He said.

"I want." She smiled, as she kissed him once more.

"It's all in the refrigerator." Hopping out of bed, she stole the sheet and wrapped it around her body as she traveled into the kitchen. He smiled as he threw on his jeans and followed her. The sight of her wrapped in a sheet in front of the fridge was a sight that Tristan would remember forever. She was too adorable for her own good.

"You did good, Bible boy." She said with a smile as she pulled out her favorite take out boxes from various places around Stars Hollow.

"Yeah, but no Indian food."

"Al's Chinese is just fine." She said as she pulled out a set of chopsticks.

"You're going to eat it cold?" He asked as he grabbed a bowl to reheat his. She nodded. "Ew." He cringed.

"What? I like cold Chinese food."

"Uh-huh."

"That grosses you out." She stated, thinking it was unbelievable.

"It's all slimy and congealed."

"Coming from the man who eats snails?" She said.

"Hey." He just shrugged, refusing to change his opinion. "I never argued that it made sense." She raised her eyebrows as if to say 'your words, not mine' and sat down at the table. The roses were still there and he glanced over at her and watched as she absent-mindedly fingered one of the rose petals on the table.

"Did I tell you Paris is going to Yale too?" Rory remembered. "Something about carrying on the family tradition…" He nodded.

"Her dad's family." Was all he said as he took his food out of the microwave. Rory was still in awe at how much people in Hartford knew about each other. She understood the concept, coming from a small town herself, but the level at which people talked in Hartford would never cease to amaze her. "Here's looking at you kid." He winked as he clinked glasses with her. She smiled.

"You and I are different than most high school students, aren't we?" She asked him, wanting to confirm her suspicions.

"What do you mean?" He tread cautiously, unsure of what she wanted him to say.

"Look around. We're eighteen years old and we're having a weekend away in a hidden house in the woods. This isn't normal." She said as she took a bite of her chicken.

"Nothing about you is normal." Tristan said, both teasing and romantic, a combo that only he could pull off without any problems.

"Still, I keep waiting for the other foot to drop."

"Too good to be true?"

"Exactly." He shrugged.

"I'm not going to question it." He said. "The more I think about it, the more I drive myself crazy with questions."

"Better to just not think at all." She summed up his points.

"Mmhm." He laughed at her face. "It's my personal philosophy!" He defended himself.

"How's that working out for you?" She asked.

"I got you." He pointed out. "As far as I'm concerned, that's all I need to know." She smiled as she felt her heart soar in her chest at his simple confidence.

"There you are." She said as if greeting him for the first time in a while. She brushed his hair back from his face to get a better look at him. "Welcome back." Embarrassed by her action, he looked down at the ground before meeting her gaze again.

"Thank you." He said with a small smile. She nodded her 'your welcome' and kept eating, letting the silence speak for them.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: The rights to all of the following belong to other people, thanks for the inspiration.

Lorelei came home to a silent house, which she was not expecting. Tristan was supposedly coming over to study for finals, but she hadn't expected anyone to actually study. Pizza in hand, she turned the corner into the kitchen. Rory's door was shut, but Lorelei knocked, she was the mom after all.

"Come in." Rory muffled voice commanded.

"Pizza." Lorelei said as she looked around the room. Rory was on her bed, papers and books surrounding her. Tristan was at the desk reading what looked to be an entire textbook and Jess was on the floor, novel in hand.

"Okay, we'll be right there." Rory mumbled through the pencil that rested between her teeth.

"Jess, what are you doing here? You don't study, and even if you did, you go to a public school, it would take ten minutes before you knew everything you needed to know."

"The diner was packed and I needed someplace quiet, and no where is quieter than Rory's room when she's studying for finals." He said, never looking up from his book.

"And this doesn't bother you?" Lorelei asked Rory, who had a strict No Strangers policy when she was studying.

"He's quiet, unlike some people I know." Rory glared at Lorelei.

"Did I mention they are both really crabby?" Jess said.

"We're not crabby!" They said in unison as Jess got up to eat some pizza.

"Okay kids, come on. Time to take a break from studying, you've already been accepted to college, it's going to be okay if you stop to eat a slice of pizza."

"We have to graduate first and Chilton has prepared for our Senioritis by making that a nearly impossible feat." Tristan said as he stood up and twisted his back, causing it to crack.

"You would think after all of our hard work they would ease up a little but no." Rory said as she threw her highlighter down on her notebook in frustration. "This is going to be the hardest semester yet."

"Harder than your first semester when you were behind?" Lorelei asked, putting it into perspective.

"Yes." She said. "Can't you just shove some pizza in my mouth while I study?" She asked with her big blue eyes that Tristan couldn't help but smile at. If she had been requesting anything of him with those eyes he wouldn't have thought twice before saying 'Yes, anything you want.'

"Ror, you've got to eat something." Lorelei demanded as she set a slice in front of her.

"Wow, there's a sentence I never thought I would hear." Jess said as Tristan laughed at the comment. "We should mark this day down on the calendar."

"Call the Times, I've got the Headline. Gilmore Girl refuses to eat." Tristan laughed.

"I've got a better one. Gilmore Girl goes on rampage, kills all the men in her home." She said with an evil glint in her eye. Tristan and Jess just chuckled as they started in on their pizza.

OOOOO

Tristan hadn't stopped smiling since he had walked across the stage. He had graduated. They had graduated, he corrected himself as he swung an arm around Rory.

"Hey! You know what I just remembered? This was the same way we had our first kiss."

"You weren't drunk at Louise's grad party when we had our first kiss."

"Okay, no. But it was at a Chilton party and I had been drinking a little." Rory stared at him.

"Drunk logic always astounds me." She said.

"Let's dance. To celebrate graduation and us."

"You should give me that." She said as she took the punch away from him. "Lord knows what's in it." She said disgustedly.

"Yep, and He's not telling." Tristan joked as he reached for the cup again. Rory 'accidentally' tossed the rest of the punch out onto the grass and smiled.

"Whoops." She said, blinking her eyes innocently and flashing her angelic smile.

"I love you." Tristan said. "Even when I hate you, I love you." Rory shook her head, knowing that was entirely true. "So, what's next?"

"You asked me to dance." She reminded him.

"That's right, I did." He clumsily wrapped his arms around her, feet fumbling all the while but he managed to dance pretty well considering the state he was in. "So how does it feel to be a high school graduate?" He asked her.

"It feels wonderful."

"You gave a great speech." He said. "Everyone in the row cried. Even Luke." Tristan had never seen an outpouring of love like he saw today when it came to Rory. His own parents weren't even in attendance, but Rory had a special group of people around her, even if she didn't realize how lucky she was.

"I didn't mean to make them cry. I meant what I said."

"I know. You're lucky." She smiled.

"I know I am. I've got the best family, the best friends, the best boyfriend," she teased "that anyone could ever ask for."

"Are you referring to me, Miss Gilmore?" He asked as he spun her around.

"No no. Not you. No, I'm referring to my other boyfriend, you know, the best one." Tristan pulled her back tightly in his arms.

"Like anyone could love you better than I do." He said, faking the confidence that he lacked. Honestly, he still had no idea how he had been lucky enough to find someone like Rory at all, let alone keep her by his side. They were an improbable couple, but they were perfect for each other none the less.

"No one ever could." She comforted him with a kiss to the cheek. "God you smell like booze."

"What?"

"You're drunk!" She told him.

"Yes I am. This is the biggest party of the year. Louise went through a lot of trouble to get this much alcohol, you should be polite and share some of it." He said, knowing it was futile.

"We can't all pull off being wasted as gracefully as you can." She replied. "Come on, I'll drive you home."

"I don't want to go home yet." He said petulantly.

"I've got your graduation present waiting in the trunk of my car. I can't show it to you until we go back to your place." She whispered in his ear. "You'll like it. I promise." He had requested a night alone with her when she had asked what he wanted for graduation, a feat that she was especially happy to celebrate in his case.

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" He asked, sobering up immediately. She just nodded and started walking away. "Ror…wait!" He said, traipsing after her.

OOOOO

As soon as they entered Tristan's bedroom, Rory handed him the small gift bag.

"Happy Graduation." She said with a smile. Unsure of what to expect, he tore through the tissue paper and got to the bottom of the bag. He dumped the bag into the palm of his hand and smiled.

"Dirty dice?" He smirked. "Mary, I didn't know you had it in you." She shrugged.

"It's a special occasion. You requested a night with me, I figured we should do something different for a change." She smiled as he sat down on the bed. "Go ahead, give them a roll. I'll do whatever comes up." Still not quite sure he believed what she was doing, he rolled them onto his bedside table. She leaned over to see what came up. One die said Strip, the other Slowly. She smiled.

"That's a good way to start." He said as he leaned back against the bed, building a pillar of support out of his pillows behind him.

"Music?" She asked as she reached for the stereo remote.

"Disc four." He said, knowing it would be a good song for the task at hand. She paused as she listened to the song start. It was Let's Get it On. She smiled and shook her head.

"I should have known." She said as she started swaying her hips to the music and snapping her fingers softly. She slowly took off her shirt, revealing a lacy blue bra that Tristan recognized as new. Next came the jeans she was wearing. Apparently the bra was part of a set.

"Damn Rory." He groaned. She ran a hand over her exposed stomach and up to her chest as she reached for a strap of her bra, pushing it off her shoulder. Taking the bra completely off, Tristan fought the urge to pull her on the bed and have his way with her. Sensing his frustration, she made her way over to Tristan and straddled him. He put his hands on her hips, letting them move to the beat. She leaned down and kissed him before slowly grinding into his erection in time with the music. Taking the final step, she pulled away from him and laid down on the bed in front of him. Sliding a finger under the very tiny strip of elastic that was keeping the article of clothing on her body, she discarded the item extremely slowly. Tristan felt himself going dizzy from the lack of oxygen as he held his breath in anticipation of what lay beneath the panties. The music came to an end as she sat up, perfectly timed by fate. He reached out for her but she shook her head.

"My turn." She smiled naughtily as she picked up the dice. Giving them a roll, she grinned as Tristan threw her onto the bed before she could see the results. He leaned over, keeping her pinned to the bed.

"Suck and Gently." He smirked, knowing it was his turn to tease. Foreplay with Rory was just like their banter, each time they got together someone had to one up the other until they both were screaming, either at one another or with each other.

"I know you're going to give me a hickey." She said as she rolled her eyes. "Keep it out of the public eye this time?" She requested, recalling an incident earlier when her mother discovered a hickey on her neck. She still hadn't heard the end of it.

"Yes ma'am." He smirked, willing to give her anything she ever wanted. Rory closed her eyes as Tristan immediately went to her earlobe, knowing that it drove her nuts. As he licked and nibbled his way down her neck, Rory intertwined her fingers in the back of his hair, holding him close to her. He moved slowly, tasting every square inch of her. He felt her inhale sharply as he found his way to her breasts, circling her nipple with his tongue until finally taking it into his warm mouth. She let a soft moan escape her lips and Tristan rewarded himself by moving lower yet. He loved the way her stomach muscles contracted as he left a trail of wet kisses down her abs. He stopped momentarily to flick his tongue inside of her belly button, causing her to nearly jump off the mattress. "Oh, you like that?" He asked, surprised by her reaction.

"Again." She begged, this time ready for the sensation. He humored her, just to see what she would do. He watched as she grabbed the mattress and her stomach wiggled against his lips. "Please…" She moaned, needing his tongue to move lower.

"Patience." He chuckled, her enthusiasm turning him on even more. He moved on, this time to her hipbone before finally reaching his destination. Rory sighed in contentment as he played with her with his tongue. Before she knew it, he was pulling away from her. She scoffed, wanting to know what he was doing. "I'm just following orders." He said with a smirk. "I believe it's my turn to roll."

"Mean!" She muttered as he picked up the dice. He watched intently as they fell onto the table, excited to see what would show up. "Question mark, lick." A grin burst from his face. "Does that mean I get to choose?" Rory shrugged.

"Sure, why not." He knew exactly what he wanted, but he didn't think that Rory would be willing, so he paused to think about it. As he was thinking, Rory began reaching for his belt. "We both know what you are thinking, Tris. Just say it." He glanced over at her.

"I don't want you to do anything you don't want to." He said honestly as he pushed her hand away.

"No, I've just, I've never done it before." She admitted, although she didn't know why she needed to. They both knew her entire sexual history. "I might do it wrong." She said, getting shy.

"That's not possible." He said, getting hard at just the thought of her blowing him. "Come here." He motioned for her to get closer and he kissed her softly, but passionately, letting his actions speak for him. As they were kissing, Rory began to fully undress Tristan, realizing that she had been naked for quite some time now and it was his turn to shed his clothing. When he was completely exposed, she kissed him one more time as she reached down and stroked him once. Feeling him gasp against her mouth, she smiled at the effect she had on him.

"Who's in charge now?" She whispered into his ear, her warm breath causing him to shiver. She moved down his body, completely insecure about what to do next, but she figured it couldn't be too difficult. As Tristan's head hit the pillows, watching his girlfriend's body slide down his torso, he knew that he had died and gone to heaven. At least, that was until Rory's small pink tongue licked away the precum from his tip.

"Fuck Mary." He moaned, biting his lip. She looked up at him through her eyelashes and continued her exploration. She kissed the tip, running her tongue around the swollen end as she did so. Tristan couldn't help himself as he wrapped his fingers in her soft hair. Getting braver, she ran her tongue along his shaft before taking more of him into her mouth. It took everything he had not to thrust all the way down her throat as she started to find a rhythm to her movements. Bits of phrases flew from his mouth, none of which made any sense as he felt himself getting close to his breaking point. "Ror, I'm…" He managed to get out, hoping that she understood. She nodded and kept working him over. He reached down and pulled her off of him as he came hard, spilling all over himself. He felt entirely spent as he lay motionless before her. Rory watched him for a second before cleaning him up. She had reduced him to this, and it turned her on to no end.

"Are you okay?" She teased as she lay on top of him again.

"Am I o…?" He scoffed, unable to process her question. "You were, and that was…" He shook his head. She looked at him expectantly, waiting to hear her compliment. "There are no words."

"Good." She smiled as she rubbed herself against his leg. "Because it's my turn to roll the dice." She said as she reached for the dice.

"I don't think so." Tristan said as he pulled her hand back to him. "I'm taking creative license on this one." Rory smiled, liking that idea. He flipped them over so that he was on top and he kissed her. Reaching down to rub her clit, Tristan felt her tense under his touch. "Relax, Ror." He said, moving slower, lulling her into a state of pleasure. His fingers wet with her juices, he pushed one into her.

"God." She groaned as he put another finger into her, stretching her out. He kissed her again, wanting to please her as many ways as possible.

"Tristan's just fine." He whispered in her ear. He could feel her tightening against him so he picked up the pace, wanting to push her over.

"Oh yes." She cried as she shifted, begging the feeling to last as long as it could. With a swish of his thumb, she was stumbling towards the light, unable to control her body anymore. Her moans grew rapidly until the world exploded behind her eyelids.

"Nothing in this world is better than watching you come." Tristan said, causing her to open her eyes. The wonder in his eyes told her that he wasn't lying. The admission was so intimate that Rory found herself blushing. He went down to clean up his mess, soothing her swollen lips with gentle swipes of his tongue.

"Tris…" She said, wanting his attention. She pulled him up towards her again. Her eyes were a new color, taking Tristan by surprise.

"What is it?" He asked, concerned.

"Slowly." She requested as she wrapped her legs around him. He nodded as he entered her with a kiss. He watched her as her eyes flickered open and she stared intently back at him. Never taking their eyes off of each other, they both felt the silent words that were spoken between them. Without saying a word, Rory closed her eyes, letting herself get lost once again in his touch. She heard him calling her name and felt him collapse against her, signaling his own release. After he had regained some semblance of his composure, he faced her again. His hand brushed away the hair from her eyes as his fingers lingered on her cheek.

"I love you." He said. She nodded and pressed her cheek against his hand, unable to comment. Tristan saw the tear escape out of the corner of her eye. "What's wrong?" He asked. She just shook her head.

"Nothing this good lasts." She said. "You're my best friend, you're the love of my life, I've built my world around you." She broke eye contact, unable to look at his intense gaze, at his eyes darting back and forth desperately trying to read her own tearful pair. "I don't know what I would do without you. I can't lose you." Her voice breaking as she lost her composure.

"You are not going to lose me." He said, the authority in his voice taking even him by surprise. "Look at me," He said, gently bringing a finger under her chin. "I would die before losing you. We're going to go to Yale, we're going to get married and have lots of kids and we're going to be together forever. Okay?"

"Promise?" She said.

"I swear. I'm not going anywhere. You can never lose me. Never." She nodded, knowing that he meant it, but hoping that he could deliver on his promise.

A/N: Okay that's the end of part one. Next chapter will jump into the future! Will Tristan keep his promise? Will he run his father's business? Will Rory be an award-winning journalist or a Hartford Trophy wife? Who's to say? You'll just have to read and find out!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Lower your weapons. This will be angsty, but I promise that it will all work out in the end. If it hasn't worked out, it's not the end!

"As the youngest member to receive this award, it is no surprise that our recipient stems from a long line of renowned businessmen. After only a year, Tristan DuGray has changed the way that people view his corporation. And so, it is my greatest pleasure to announce Tristan DuGray as Hartford's Businessman of the Year." The man clapped his hands as Tristan walked up to the podium. He had his society face on, but he was genuinely happy to be standing there. He took the plaque and placed it on the podium in front of him.

"Thank you so much. It's an honor to be standing here at all, let alone at my young age. My grandfather once told me that people were only as good as their actions. This wise piece of advice has shaped who I am today, both as a businessman and as a human being. I'd like to thank the city of Hartford for their acknowledgement." Rory smiled as Logan turned his attention back to her.

"Want me to freshen up that drink for you, Ace?" He said with a sigh.

"Sure." She smiled, knowing that she was going to need it.

"I'll be right back." Logan said with a wink and a supportive pat on her shoulder. She turned her attention back to the podium, but she couldn't hear his speech over her own thoughts.

Looking back, Rory should have seen the signs that Tristan and her were growing apart, but she had been so sure of what they had, she didn't think twice about the challenges they faced. She had no reason to think otherwise. They had been the golden couple for four long and glorious years. And people had jealously hated them for it. They were best friends, nearly inseparable, that is, until they were separated. Rory had always thought that they would get engaged right away after college, but when the moment came, they were already having enough doubts about where they were going in life to add to the confusion. Now she could trace the beginnings of their problems to their last semester at Yale, Christmas break to be more specific. It was the first time Rory had felt a weakening in their relationship, but even then she didn't know what would become of the two of them.

OOOOO

"No, mom. I'm going to be there in an hour, I promise." Rory muttered into the phone as she finished packing her bags. "Tristan is staying in Hartford. He's got to work." She sighed, clearly not wanting to talk about it. "Okay, I'll see you soon." She hung up the phone and threw it on the bed.

"Everything okay?" Tristan asked as he entered the bedroom.

"Yeah, I'm just still stressed about my last final. It didn't go as well as I wanted it to." The truth was, she hadn't been able to study because she had been obsessing over Tristan. He had been really distant lately and they weren't even going to be seeing much of each other over Christmas break. She wanted to talk to him about it, but he was so stressed over working for his father lately that she didn't want to burden him with more questions.

"I'm sure it went better than you think." He said with a comfortable kiss to her temple. "Are you all packed?" She nodded.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? You don't want me to stay?" She asked one final time.

"Ror, go home. Have a great break and I'll come down and visit next Saturday." He didn't want her worrying about him, he was going to be fine.

"I hate that you're going to be spending your vacation working. It defeats the purpose." He smiled at her pouty face.

"I know, but I'm starting in January and I need to actually know what I'm doing before I start." He said as he picked up her suitcase from the bed.

"I'm going to miss you." She said, putting her hands on his waist and pulling him towards her. He leaned in and kissed her. Like so many kisses before, a simple kiss goodbye quickly turned into more.

"Don't go." He mumbled against her lips, wanting her to stay forever. "Who needs a family Christmas anyway?" She smiled.

"I have to. Mom and Luke have invited everyone to the Inn for a huge dinner."

"What time did you tell your mom you'd be in Stars Hollow?"

"Why?" She bit back a naughty smile as she tried to kiss him again.

"How much time do you have to spare?" He asked again slowly, holding out on her until she gave him an answer.

"Depends on the drive." She pretended to be serious, knowing exactly what he wanted from her. "Christmas traffic is pretty terrible this time of year. The highway could be jammed."

"Maybe you should wait it out here, we wouldn't want you to sit through that." He suggested as he leaned up against her, picking up her thigh to ease her backwards onto the bed.

"It's only rational." She giggled as he tumbled on top of her.

OOOOO

Rory sat at the counter, drinking her cup of coffee and being completely silent.

"Is she okay?" Luke asked Jess, knowing that Rory was so deep in her own thoughts that she wouldn't hear them.

"Yeah, every once and awhile she heaves a heavy sigh, so I know she's still breathing." He said. Luke just stared at her before pointing towards the door, signaling that he was leaving.

"See what you can do to cheer her up."

"I'll work on it." As soon as Luke was gone, Jess leaned over the counter so he was really close to her. "Spill." He commanded. She just sighed again, not even knowing where to start. "Have you talked to Tristan lately?"

"No, he's been so busy with getting ready to take over the world that I've found that it's best to just let him be, but it's been four days and he hasn't even picked up the phone to call me. And I can't call him because I know that he's busy."

"How's everything working out with that?"

"I don't know. He's such a man, he doesn't talk about it, just puts his head down and works through it. I've decided that he'll talk about it if and when he wants to, and until then we just ignore the whole subject." Rory must have noticed the look of doubt on his face. "I know, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it." She said, self-affirming her delusions.

"I've got something that will cheer you up." He said as he refilled her coffee.

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. Merry Christmas." Jess said as he handed her a book from beneath the counter.

"What! You didn't have to do that!" She said with a smile. They hadn't gotten each other books since high school.

"Well, don't get too excited. It wasn't on your list." She looked at him strangely. "I don't know if you're going to like it." He said, clearly nervous.

"Don't worry, it's been all downhill since Amanpour anyway." She teased as she began opening the paper. "Oh my God." She said as she stared at the cover. "Oh my God!" She jumped up from the counter, causing a commotion.

"People are staring."

"That's your name!" She pointed as she held up the book for him to see, disbelief pouring out of her features.

"Come on." He grabbed her hand and pulled her upstairs.

"You wrote a book?" She squealed as he shut the door. "You wrote a book?!"

"That was the idea, yeah."

"The Subsect by Jess Mariano. It's perfect." She said as she admired the cover.

"You haven't even read it yet."

"Jess, you wrote a book." She said, holding it up in front of him. "And someone published it."

"It's not like it's a big deal or anything, I have to distribute it myself."

"It is a very big deal! You're going to be so famous." She said proudly.

"No. We only printed like 500 copies and there's no money in it I promise."

"But it's yours."

"Will you just…read it first? Before you get too jazzed. Please?" She nodded and smiled softly.

"I'm so proud of you Jess." She said with a hug. "I always knew you would do great things, but this?" She gestured to the book in her hand. "This is just, so cool."

"Read the Dedication." He said as he pointed towards the book. She gave him a quizzical look but opened the cover.

"To Rory, I couldn't have done this without you. Merry Christmas. Jess..." She got tears in her eyes as she gave him another hug.

"I meant it. Although I did promise Luke that the next one would be to him, so enjoy it while it lasts." He said with a small smile.

"Tell me you are proud of yourself." She commanded before he rolled his eyes. "Say it!"

"I'm proud of myself." He caved, knowing she wouldn't give up until he followed her orders.

"Good." She couldn't contain her joy. Jess knew that Rory was going to be the one person who he wanted to share this moment with and the sight of her bubbling over with happiness simply because he sat down and wrote something gave him more joy than actually getting published.

"Are you cheered up?" He asked, wanting her to be happy.

"Very." She smiled.

OOOOO

"I have a famous cousin." She told Tristan later that evening.

"Hello to you too?" He said, confused by her introduction.

"You are never going to believe this. Jess wrote a book."

"Really."

"And it got published. It's a published, on the bookshelves, ready to purchase book."

"That's amazing." He said, trying to muster up some enthusiasm for her.

"And he dedicated it to me. There is a published book dedicated to me! I can't get over it."

"What's it about?"

"I don't know I haven't read it yet. I was just so excited I had to tell you." Tristan listened to the happiness emanating from his cell and smiled. Realizing he was really quiet, she toned down her excitement. "How are you doing?"

"I'm tired and I miss you." She heard that in his voice.

"I could drive up and see you." She offered, wanting to help release his stress.

"I'm just going to go to bed." He said, not wanting her to drive all the way to Hartford just to watch him sleep.

"Okay, well, sleep well and I'll see you soon." She said.

"Goodnight." He said, hanging up the phone.

OOOOO

A knock on the bedroom door promptly 25 minutes later told him that she had arrived. She had a key and had obviously let herself into the apartment. She kissed his temple and ran her fingers through his hair.

"What are you doing here? I told you not to come." He told her.

"I know but I missed you." She said as she got undressed, pretending that she was the one that needed him tonight, even though they both knew why she was there. She slid into bed and she wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his shoulder. "Now go to sleep." She told him. He smiled at her command and kissed the top of her head, letting his nostrils inhale the sweet scent that was Rory's hair.

"I love you." He told her as he relaxed into his pillow.

"Love you too." She said. She watched as her hand on his chest slowly evened out with his deep breathing. She suddenly recalled their senior getaway four years earlier to the cabin after their college choices had been determined. Once again, they were seniors, but this time in college and faced with all of the choices that Daniel had warned them about so many years ago. Their relationship had changed, they had grown up and become different people, but lying here in Tristan's arms was right where she was meant to be. She wasn't sure about a lot of things, but that was a certainty.


	13. Chapter 13

"Tris, have you seen my…" She was stopped mid-sentence by the sight in front of her. Tristan was holding out an envelope with her name on it. She didn't need to look at the return address to know what it was.

"It's the Reston." He told her, as if she didn't already know. "Well, go on. Open it." Tristan said, trying to hand it to her. She shook her head, unable to take the envelope out of his hands.

"You do it." She said, still frozen. He took a deep breath and opened it carefully. She closed her eyes, trying to be patient. "Do it faster!" She begged as she jumped up and down a little. He smiled at her impatience. Scanning the letter quickly, he went back to make sure he had read it correctly.

"You got it." He said, a huge smile exploding onto his features.

"What?"

"You got it!"

"No!" She cried.

"Yes!" He said handing her the letter.

"Oh my God!" She cried. "I'm going to New York!" She hugged him tightly.

"I am so proud of you. I knew you would get it. I knew it!" He kissed her quickly before pulling away.

"Mom." She said as she pulled out her cell phone and suddenly forgot how to dial. Shaking her head, she gathered her thoughts enough to call home.

"Hello, Gilmore's House of…"

"I got it!" Rory cried before Lorelei could even finish. "I got the fellowship!" There was a long pause and then a lot of screaming. Tristan laughed as his girlfriend jumped and danced around the room. The scene unfolded before him as if it were in slow motion. He captured every second of her joy. He had learned a long time ago that his own happiness was dependent on her, but it was in this very moment that he realized that his own happiness didn't matter at all. The only thing that mattered was that she was happy. If she was happy, he would endure anything to make sure it stayed that way.

"I've got to go Mom. I'll tell them tonight at dinner. Okay, bye." Pulled out of his reverie by her action, he smiled at her. Walking over, he put a hand on each of her arms and held her still.

"Stop a second." He said. "Look around. This is the beginning." She smiled as she took in everything around her. "I can't tell you how proud I am of you right now." He said with a kiss. "You deserve this."

"I love you so much, you know that?" She told him, appreciative of his actions.

"I know." He assured her.

OOOOO

Rory knew that their decision to move to separate cities would change their relationship. She had no idea it would end it. Logan came back and set her drink in front of her.

"I made it a double." He told her with a smile, trying to cheer her up. He couldn't imagine why she was here. He would have stayed so far away from this gala if it were him. He knew that Tristan and Rory were meant to be the minute he first met them at Yale. There was no denying their chemistry and closeness. In all honesty, he had been a little jealous of the two. They seemed too perfect to be real. It was only when he got to know Tristan that he realized that they had a lot more in common than he had first realized. They had soon become friends, but with the split, he had landed on Rory's side of the equation, simply because they saw each other so often when she was in New York.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked him in a low whisper, not wanting to attract attention during Tristan's big speech.

"Graduation." He told her. Rory had met Logan her Sophomore year through the paper. Their friendship had only grown when she moved to New York and he was living there as well. She knew that Tristan had always wondered about the two of them and what they were doing together in the city, but he knew that Rory would never cheat on him. Rory made sure that he knew they were just friends.

OOOOO

"You're going to really love the city. I know this really great place…" Logan was cut off.

"Huntzberger, back away from the girl." Rory heard as she turned around.

"I know she's off limits…relax." He smiled at Tristan's faux overprotection. Tristan handed both of them drinks. "We're just planning all the stuff we're going to do when Ace here finally moves to the big bad city." He said before taking a swig of his beer.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but it makes me feel a little better knowing that you are going to be taking care of her while she's away." Tristan said. "You are going to take good care of her, aren't you?" He said, giving him a watchful eye.

"Boys, please!" Rory said, begging them to stop talking about her when she was standing in between them.

"Yes." Logan rolled his eyes. "You have nothing to worry about. I wouldn't dream of letting anything happen to her."

"I'm right here." Rory said again. Tristan smiled and gave her a kiss.

"I can't help it. I've never let you out of my sight before."

"Yeah, well…" She said, wanting to change the subject.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her hand. "Let's go home and I'll show you what you will be missing all the way in New York." He said roughly in her ear. Normally, she would have jumped him when he talked to her like that, but tonight, it seemed possessive, almost controlling. She jerked her hand away from his.

"I'm not ready to go yet." She said, her voice letting him know that she didn't appreciate his overprotective nature.

"What's wrong?" He asked, taken aback by her reaction.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm just not ready to go yet. I'm having fun here." She told him. He took a long look at her and decided to leave her alone. For whatever reason, his presence seemed to make her attitude worse.

"Okay, I'll be at the bar." He told her before walking away. Logan, witnessing the entire scene, took her aside.

"What's wrong?" He asked, knowing that she would talk to him.

"Nothing's wrong!" Rory cried, clearly defensive and tired of everyone asking.

"I'm sorry for asking but you are definitely not yourself tonight." He said.

"Tristan." She paused, not sure if she should continue. "He's just making this separation really difficult."

"How so?" Logan asked.

"It's like he knows that he's about to lose me so he's holding on really tight." Rory said. "And while I appreciate the fact that he loves me that much…"

"He's suffocating you."

"A little, yeah." Logan smiled.

"I'll talk to him." He said as he followed Tristan to the bar. "What are you drinking?" He asked, hoping to open up a serious conversation in a manly way.

"Something strong." Tristan said without looking over at Logan. Okay, right to the point then.

"Look," he started. "I really meant what I said earlier. Rory is one of the best women I've ever met, but I am not interested in anything more than keeping her protected in the city okay?" Tristan sighed and nodded.

"I know."

"Good. Now, that being said, you are driving her crazy. She's trying to spend less time with you so that it's easier to break away. You want to spend every waking second with her because you know that she's leaving. It's not going to end well if you both don't start paying attention to the other person's needs." Tristan set down his drink and stared at Logan.

"Who are you and what have you done with Logan Huntzberger."

"I may be a lot of things, but 'blind and crazy in love' is not one of them." He said. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what's happening here."

"I want her to be happy. I just want her to be happy here, with me."

"Unfortunately for you, happy and employed are not in the same ranks."

"And you're going to take good care of her?" Tristan demanded once again. Logan smiled and nodded.

"Like she was my sister."

OOOOO

"What about graduation?" Rory asked.

"I promised Tristan that I would look after you while you were in New York, do you remember?" She nodded.

"Why do you think I called you to come tonight?" She said with a smile. "You always look out for my best interests." He sighed.

"What if I thought that your best interests would be to get back together with the man standing at the podium right now?" He said quietly. Rory swallowed the lump in her throat as she turned away from him, the smile on her face quickly disappearing. "Come on, Ror. Why are we really here tonight?"

OOOOO

"Rory, darling. It's our last Friday night dinner before you leave and we've gotten you a little present." Emily said with a smile.

"Actually, it's from your great-grandmother." Richard corrected Emily. "She had left a little something for you in her will, but we were told to keep it safe until you graduated from college." Lorelei knew what was coming and she wasn't sure how Rory was going to take it.

"What it is?" Rory asked as they handed her a manilla envelope.

"Open it up." Lorelei said, reminding her of Tristan just a month earlier. She smiled at the comparison and did as she was told. In her hands was a letter, stating that she had been left…

"A trust fund?!" She glanced from person to person, begging for some clarification.

"This is just to insure that you start your life off on the right foot. Trix wanted you to succeed and carry on the Gilmore name properly." Richard said with a smile.

"Just look at it this way kid, you're a quarter of the way to being a millionaire." Lorelei tried to smile. "Tell your grandparents thank you."

"I can't accept this money." Rory said.

"You will. It's legally required that you take it. What you do with it is entirely up to you, but you do have to take it."

"It's legally required that I take 250,000 dollars from my dead great-grandmother."

"Yes." Rory's pulse was racing. She had no idea what to do with 250,000 dollars. She did have to repay her grandparents for funding her first two years of college. And find an apartment in New York. Maybe it wouldn't last that long after all.

"Okay. I will take it, but I want to repay the money that you lent me for Yale now." Richard and Emily looked at each other.

"It's just going to be left to them when we die anyway." Emily said to Richard, who nodded.

"Okay, 75,000 is for us. But promise us that you will spend the rest on yourself." He demanded.

"I will." She nodded. Her mind was reeling. She needed to talk to Tristan. "If you excuse me, I'm just going to go wash up before dinner." Rory said as she excused herself. Locking herself in the bathroom, she pulled out her cell phone.

"Hello." Tristan said, clearly happy to hear from her.

"I'm at my grandparents. I can't talk long. They just gave me access to a trust fund that I had no idea I had and I'm freaking out about it." There was a long pause.

"How much?"

"Enough to pay off my debt to them and live on for quite some time."

"How much?" He asked again.

"A quarter of a million." She said, her breathing quickening at the thought. "Oh God." She thought. She had never wanted to be one of those people who float through life on somebody else's money. She had hated those people growing up and now…

"Rory, relax. This is well timed. You can find an apartment in New York and put the rest in savings for when you are ready to settle down and buy a house, or need a new car. This is a good thing that they did for you."

"But…"

"It in no way changes who you are as a person. You are good, and kind, and intelligent and deserve every penny of that money." He told her before she even acknowledged her own thoughts.

"How do you do that?" She asked, knowing he would tell her what she wanted to hear.

"You're not as mysterious as you think you are." Tristan told her with a smile, repeating their well-worn phrase without missing a beat.

"Can I come over after this?" She asked, wanting to be with him.

"You don't have to ask." He said. "My apartment is your apartment. You know that."

"Okay, I have to go. I love you. Thank you for talking me down."

"You're welcome. See you later."

"Bye." Rory hung up the phone and took a deep breath before walking back out into the fray.

"Hey kid, are you okay?" Lorelei asked as she sat back down next to her.

"I'm rich." She said back to her mother, who understood that that single word was heavy with complexities, with meaning, thoughts, and implications. Lorelei just patted her shoulder, unsure of what could be said.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I owe a lot.

Turns out, spending 175,000 dollars is easier than it sounds.

After renting and furnishing a two-bedroom apartment on the Upper West side for the next year, Rory had gone shopping for work clothes and put the rest in the bank, but a pretty large chunk had been taken out. Of course, Lorelei had helped make the place a home by adding those homey touches she loved so much. Rory was pretty sure that she was going to be getting the monkey lamp one of these days. Paul Anka seemed to be afraid of it. The best part of the apartment was the office that she had created for herself. She had built wall to wall bookshelves that lined the entire room and her desk was a gorgeous mahogany. It was like she stepped into her dream room. She also had a mini coffee station all set up for herself for those late nights she planned on writing. Once she had finished the entire apartment, she finally invited Tristan to come see it. She had wanted him to wait until it was properly finished. She sat on a barstool in the kitchen and waited for the buzzing of the door. She hadn't seen him in a few weeks and she was really looking forward to seeing him in person, rather than just talking on the phone or sending emails.

She glanced at the clock. It wasn't like him to be late without calling first. But it was New York, maybe he got lost, or maybe he hit traffic. She frowned, it was two in the afternoon on a Saturday. She waited another fifteen minutes before calling his cell phone.

"Hi, you have reached Tristan DuGray. I'm not available at the moment. Leave a message and I will get in touch as soon as I can. Thank you. BEEP."

"Tristan, where are you? It's 2:30 and you were supposed to be here a half an hour ago. Just call me so I know that you're not dying in a gutter somewhere." She hung up. She could try his office, but if she found out that he was still there, she wouldn't want to see him anyway. Ten minutes later, the door buzzed. Rory jumped out of her seat and buzzed the person in without asking who it was. She opened the door and stared at him.

"I'm late."

"You're really late." She said as she opened the door. "Where were you?"

"I got stuck in this meeting that my father didn't actually tell me I had, which I'm pretty sure he convened just because he knew that I was coming to visit you this afternoon and he wanted to prove a point." He sighed. "I'm sorry. Don't hate me." She wrapped her arms around him.

"I missed you too much to hate you." She said with a sigh. He kissed her briefly before looking around.

"This place looks great."

"Thank you."

"Do I get a tour?" He asked, clearly acting over-eager to prove himself. She smiled.

"This is the living room." She said. "That's the kitchen." She said, pointing to the other half of the room.

"Cool. I like the stainless steel." He said.

"Back this way," She said as she pulled him through the living room "is the bathroom. It's got this great old tub on clawed feet. I love it." She showed him the bathroom. "Now down here, it's a split between my two favorite rooms, so you have to decide which one you want to see first." She said as she blocked his path. Without saying a word, Tristan knew.

"Bedroom last." Rory nodded and opened the door on the right instead. As Tristan walked into the room, he could practically feel Rory's personality. It was so perfectly her. He ran his hand along the bookshelf and looked back at her, she was beaming with pride.

"What do you think?" She asked. He shook his head, unsure of what to say.

"It's perfect. God you even have your own coffee cart!" He said as he pointed towards her desk. She nodded happily.

"Totally worth the money now, isn't it?" He teased and she shrugged. "May I?" He asked as he pointed towards the giant leather swivel chair. She nodded. "Hmm, that's a good chair." He said as he spun around once.

"The bedroom is next." She said, wanting to show him the final room. Tristan leaped out of the chair and followed her out of the office. "It's a grown up room. I've never had one of those." She said as Tristan began looking around.

"It's nice." He said, looking at the king size bed.

"It's connected to the bathroom, which is kind of cool." She said as she pointed towards another door. Tristan wasn't listening, he had already kicked off his shoes and had fallen onto his side of the bed.

"It's my turn to mold a spot into your mattress." He told her as he moved around. Rory smiled and shook her head at his nonsense.

"I'm glad that you are here." She told him. "Even if it is only for a couple of hours."

"Me too." He said as he sat back up, his expression changing. "But it's not for a couple of hours." Tristan said sadly. Rory's heart sank, but she tried not to show her pain at his sudden departure. He walked dejectedly over to her and she turned her face away from him to hide her reaction. "I'm staying until tomorrow night." He whispered coolly in her ear.

"What?!" She yelled directly into his eardrum. Backing away from her, he had a huge smile on his face. She hit him on the shoulder but he didn't even acknowledge it.

"I took the weekend off." He told her. "Hence, Daniel's impromptu get together." Rory smiled and kissed him properly for the first time in almost a month.

"I love you a lot right now, you know that?"

"Just right now?" Tristan joked as she hit him again, this time harder. "Ow. Stop it." He said, rubbing his arm. He retaliated by slowly backing her up against the wall, holding her hands above her head so she couldn't touch him. Silly man, he had forgotten about her lips. Those rosy petals that brought more destruction than a single slap could ever do. She kissed him, and he found himself letting go of her hands.

"You're really staying?" Rory asked softly, back still against the wall.

"I really am." Tristan said as he gazed at her body, not bothering to look her in the eye. His right hand was still pushing against the wall, trapping her as he pressed his body against hers. She sighed as she felt his weight against hers, it was comforting in a strange way, to feel him against her. Familiar at the very least. She ran her hand up and down his arm and he smiled before leaning in and kissing her again.

OOOOO

Rory was broken by her thoughts by someone brushing past her chair. She hadn't heard a single thing that was said. It looked like she's going to have to put a personal touch on this article, she clearly wasn't doing her research here.

What had come next? Months without seeing each other, a frazzled phone call here or there that he didn't want to be rude by not accepting but that he clearly didn't have time for. She had tried for a while to be patient and to not be upset by his busy schedule. She herself had very little time to share. But she did share it, didn't she? And he didn't. That was where the trouble was.

OOOOO

Thanksgiving was tomorrow and Rory was going home for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, when it reality it had only been six weeks. It was quite possibly the longest she had ever been away from home and she was so excited to be back. She and Tristan hadn't seen each other in two months outside of a computer camera and their now very brief phone calls. She was taking the holiday weekend off, giving her four days of vacation with her mother, her boyfriend, and her friends. She sighed as she glanced at the clock one more time. One more hour and she was free. She had finished her article ages ago and was simply waiting to be dismissed. Clearly her supervisor noticed her behavior because with a simple smile, she waved her head towards the door as if to say, "Get out of here before I change my mind." Rory grinned and did exactly as she was told.

OOOOO

"Mom! I'm home!" Rory cried as she entered the front door.

"Rory!" The cry came from the kitchen as they ran into each other in the hallway. "I thought you weren't coming home until tomorrow morning!"

"I was excused an hour early so I beat traffic and decided to surprise you!"

"Have you seen Tristan yet?" Rory shook her head.

"He's working. I'll just see him tomorrow at dinner like we planned. I know that he has to come to that because it's been planned for a month." Lorelei sighed at her daughter's face. Things were not going as well as everyone had assumed they would be.

"Well good. Because if you had decided to see him before me I would have to hurt you." She said as she hugged her daughter tightly again.

"Come on, Paul Anka is waiting in your room for you. He knew you were coming so he wanted to surprise you, but you know that I can never keep a secret."

"He ate all my shoes again didn't he?"

"Only the old ones."

OOOOO

Rory was a little anxious as she arrived at her grandparents' party. It had been so long since she had seen Tristan, she was hoping that they could steal into a room for a little privacy for awhile before dinner. After being invited inside by a maid, Rory didn't even have time to take off her jacket before her grandmother's voice rang 0ut.

"Rory! It's so good to see you!"

"Hi grandma!"

"Richard, Rory is here."

"And Lorelei." Lorelei said, refusing to be ignored. "Your only daughter."

"Hello Rory." Richard said with a hug.

"Where is Tristan?" Emily asked. "He is still coming, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's going to meet us here."

"Oh good."

"Dinner should be ready in ten minutes, why don't you go get yourself a glass of wine while we wait for him."

"Grandma, if he's not here on time, start without him. Traffic was horrible this morning and if I know him, he would never account for such things." Emily smiled. Rory sounded like a proper wife. This statement alone made her reconsider waiting for him.

"All right, we'll just hope he arrives in time then."

"Okay."

Only he didn't arrive on time, he waltzed in twenty minutes into the dinner.

"I'm so sorry Emily, traffic." He whispered at the door to the dining room. She just smiled at him, which was a little disconcerting considering the fact that he had planned on getting a speech. He sat down quickly and silently next to Rory without so much as a kiss hello. Everyone was in the middle of their discussions so no one really noticed.

"Where were you?" Rory asked, trying to sound concerned instead of angry. Tristan knew better.

"We had an emergency at the office. I got here as quickly as I could."

"You could have called."

"I was on my way before the party even started. Traffic was terrible." Rory sighed and turned her attention to another one of the guests sitting next to her. The cold shoulder held out throughout the entire dinner, both were polite and fakely cordial to one another when questions were brought up about the two of them. Tristan was uttering things like "I'm a lucky man" while Rory stuck with the classic "Long distance is hard, but he's totally worth it." The fact that Tristan had heard all of these lines from his father was killing him slowly. When had he become that guy? The guy who lies about his relationship to complete strangers to keep up appearances. This only frustrated him more to the point where, by the end of the party, he hated himself. As Rory put on her coat, silence reigned until they got into Tristan's car.

"Is everything okay?" Tristan asked, wanting to start a fight. At least that meant that he wasn't his father.

"Everything's fine." Rory said, not wanting to talk about it and ruin their short time together by fighting.

"Everything is not fine. Come on, talk to me about it."

"I don't want to fight, not tonight." Rory said coolly, driving Tristan nuts.

"Damn it Rory." Tristan said. "What do you want me to say? Traffic was bad, I can't control that."

"No, but you could control your mood the entire evening. You were sullen and didn't say two words to me all night."

"That's because you were mad and refusing to talk to me!"

"Of course I was mad! I hadn't seen you in months!"

"So this is about my work schedule, again."

"No, it's not about your work schedule, it's about your priorities!"

"Here we go," Tristan said.

"You never make time for anyone else. You spend all your time at that stupid office and when I'm home for two days you can't even make time to come to Thanksgiving dinner!"

"Look, I'm sorry. I can't change it, what do you want me to say?"

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Tristan kept his eyes on the road. "How many meetings do you have planned, honestly, I deserve to know."

"One, but it was with someone who was flying in from Japan and I couldn't cancel it."

"Were you going to tell me about it?" He didn't answer. "Tristan!"

"I don't know. Maybe. I wanted to, but knowing how upset you get over my job…" He didn't continue.

"So I'm over-reacting?"

"Just a little." He said sarcastically. That was the last straw. Rory folded her arms and was silent for the rest of the ride.


	15. Chapter 15

Tristan was not going to apologize. He slammed the car door and followed Rory into his house, carrying her bags. He may have pissed her off, but he was still her boyfriend. He watched as she walked directly to his bedroom. Clearly, there would be no reunion sex tonight. He sighed. He was not going to apologize, God damn it. He swore in his head to keep his nerve up. He had done nothing wrong. He may have said it the wrong way, but his actions were in no way out of line with what he had to do. He had to work, and if she couldn't understand that, then, so be it. She could pout. He set her bags down just inside the doorway of the bedroom and paused to watch as she slipped the dress over her head, walking around in the lace panties that he loved so much. He tried to fight the erection he was feeling as she freely walked around naked in his room. She walked to his closet door and threw on one of his old Yale shirts, the tattered one that she had bought him freshman year and preceded to wear a thousand times to bed, despite calling it his. It was never his. Even he called it her shirt.

"You can have it." Tristan said, speaking for the first time since he last upset her. Rory's head jerked up to see what he was referring to. "The bed. I'll take the couch." Rory shook her head.

"No. I don't want to waste this brief time with you fighting. Come here." He walked over to her, despite himself. "I want an apology." She said softly, not looking at him. "What you said earlier, it made me feel small and unimportant to you and I didn't like it."

"Ror, I don't want you to feel unimportant." He said. "But I don't have the same time like I did in college. That aspect of our relationship is going to have to change. We've known this was going to happen since high school."

"You've been promising me for five years that we could make it through this period in our lives. Five years, Tristan. And tonight, after I drove two hours to come see you and when you finally, after almost two months of not seeing each other, had the opportunity to share a few hours with me, you couldn't make the time."

"I was half an hour late! And I have one meeting tomorrow. One. Out of twelve hours of meetings I condensed my schedule into a half an hour meeting for you. Things are going to be falling apart. The company could very well stop running without me and I don't care. I cut all of it out for you. So excuse me if I'm confused why being 30 minutes late makes me a terrible person." Rory sighed.

"It wasn't the act of being late, it was how you made me feel." She said, feeling slightly ridiculous now.

"And how did you feel?"

"Unloved."

"After five years, how could you possibly doubt how I feel about you." He said, wanting an answer. He knew where this was going. They hadn't had the marriage conversation since they were at Yale, but now the clock was ticking. They hadn't gotten married in college because they didn't want to. Now they still weren't in a secure place but he was starting to feel the pressure to propose, and soon. But he didn't want to do it to save their relationship. That was a crappy reason to get married.

"I haven't seen you in two months. It's a lot easier to doubt when I don't see you every day. Hell, we barely even talk anymore."

"We knew that this was going to happen! And it will get better, I promise. But for now, we just have to get through it."

"And I thought that you would put an equal amount of time into this relationship. My schedule isn't exactly light either Tristan, but I'm still making an effort."

"And I'm not making an effort? Did you just listen to what I said?!"

"I heard you. You took a day off." She said, not impressed.

"I. Tristan DuGray. Took. A. Day. Off." He spelled it out for her slowly. She fought the smile that wanted to creep from her lips. "What?"

"I wish the high school you could see this version of you." She said. "I think he would die. You used to skip school to make out with girls, now you won't even take the day off when I'm in the same town." He sighed and lifted his arms out as if to say, 'What do you want me to do?'

"It is what it is." He said, wondering what the younger version of himself would think about his new priorities. He'd say 'You had the chance to screw Rory Gilmore and you're passing it up because you're too stubborn to apologize? What the Hell is the matter with you?!' He smirked at his own thoughts and broke down. "Ror," He said.

"What?" She asked.

"I love you. And tomorrow we can do whatever you want to do for as long as you want to do it, so long as you meet me in the middle and give me half an hour with the Japanese." She was refusing to compromise, wasn't she? What kind of girlfriend did that make her?

"I'm sorry if I overreacted." She said. "But I honestly felt ignored."

"I'm sorry that you felt ignored. And trust me, you should never feel jealous of the Japanese." He said as he came up behind her. "They've got nothing on you in that shirt." He whispered in her ear. She giggled and let his finger skim the hem that dangled at her hip.

"I love this shirt." Rory felt his warm breathing against her ear as if he were about to say something at any moment. Instead, his mouth captured the shell of her ear and he nibbled his way down it. She turned to face him and began kissing him. "I've missed you so much." She muttered as she trailed kisses along his jawline, her fingers working at unbuttoning his shirt. The statement was figurative and literal and Rory wasn't sure which she felt more. Tristan closed his eyes as her hands roamed against his now naked abs. She took his fingers and kissed each one slowly before laying herself down on the bed. She needed to feel that spark again; she needed to know that they still had whatever it was they used to share. She wanted to be lied to. Tristan brushed her hair out of her eyes and was taken aback by what he saw. It was so subtle that a normal person would have missed it. But he had seen every look in the Gilmore playbook, and this one was new. A look that whispered to him, 'Pretend you love me'.

OOOOO

Tristan threw the beer bottle onto the pile with a crash. It had been the last of his six pack and he knew that he was too drunk to go out and get more. He sighed, realizing that he even was a failure at drinking her away. He was about to fall into a deep reverie of self-loathing when a knock startled him from his thoughts. It wasn't her. He knew it wasn't, but that didn't stop his heart from momentarily jumping to his throat. Cursing his stupid self for even thinking such a thought, he clumsily stood up and staggered to the door. When he looked up, the door was wide open and standing on the other side was Lorelei.

"I didn't answer." He said, pointing to the doorknob to clarify that he hadn't touched it yet. He was drunk, but he was still sober enough to know that he hadn't opened the door.

"I thought that you might be dead." She only half-joked.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, not wanting to see those familiar blue eyes that still haunted his dreams.

"I wanted to check in on you." She said. "You're like a son to me and I wanted to see how you were holding up." With one long glance around the apartment, she sighed. "I'm glad I did."

"Okay, you checked in." He said, acknowledging how desperate he looked. "Now what?"

"You tell me." She said, making herself at home on the couch. She clearly was not going anywhere. Tristan sighed, sitting down next to her. Lorelei's determination was known throughout the entire Northeast. He didn't have the energy or the strength to fight her right now and she knew it.

"How is she?" He asked, unable to control his curiosity at his current intox level.

"Silent. She won't tell me what happened and she refuses to wallow, unlike you I see. I honestly don't know what to do with her." Lorelei said, clearly concerned for her daughter. It also explained her presence here. "What happened?"

"I came home, she wanted to…talk." Tristan said, emphasizing the word. "Suddenly she burst into tears and says that she can't do it anymore. That it hurts too much."

"What did you say?"

"We both acknowledged that things had been different since she moved to New York and that we weren't the same people anymore. We decided to split and in less than five minutes the whole thing was over."

"You didn't try to stop her at all?" Lorelei was surprised. She couldn't see him giving her up so easily.

"I had done enough damage." Tristan said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She questioned.

"I was the reason she was in that much pain. I caused it…" He paused as he fumbled through the lump growing in his throat. "She had made up her mind. I wasn't going to make it harder on her and I certainly didn't want to make her cry anymore than I already had."

"You loved her enough to let her go." Lorelei patted his back as if she were his mother instead of his girlfriend's. His ex-girlfriend's. "Don't worry." She said. "Rory is going to figure out that she loves you more than anything else and she is going to come back to you." She stood up, her determination still on her face. "I know Rory. She just needs some time to realize what she's missing." Tristan shook his head.

"You didn't see her face." He muttered.

"Don't give up on her. She'll come around." Lorelei's words echoed in Tristan's mind as he was suddenly transported to another time and place.

OOFLASHBACKOO

Tristan felt her fingers sneakily wrap around his eyes, causing him to freeze.

"Hello." He said before turning to face the mysterious girl who had blinded him. Rory didn't say anything, just smiled and joined him on his blanket, wrapping her legs around his torso and sitting on his lap. She had Tristan's favorite look on her face, her naughty mischievous face. It was his favorite because he saw it so rarely, but good things always came with that face.

"How did your last final go?" He asked.

"Fine." She blew the question off and began nibbling on his ear lobe. "Tell me you love me." She whispered.

"You know I love you."

"Tell me why." She asked, wanting him to say all of those romantic things he never said, but showed her every day. She knew he felt it, but today she wanted to hear it.

"Because you're my best friend. Because you're hot as Hell and as pure as Heaven." He said, running his hands over her back and up to her face. "Because you're the person who stands up to me. You keep me in line, you show me who's the boss when I get too cocky." Rory smiled, pleased with his answer. "I'm going to need that when I get older and take over the world."

"And I'm the girl to help?" Rory asked.

"Of course, who else am I going to spend my millions on?" He said.

"Will you buy this park for me first? I love it here." Ever since their first night sitting in his car, this had been their spot, their hideaway from the world. Tristan nodded.

"Of course. Nothing says CEO of a global corporation like buying a public park and turning it into our own personal backyard."

"Thank you." She said. "I don't know why, but I really needed that today." She turned to him.

"Needed what?" He asked.

"A reminder. A promise. A future. It just all seems so scary. We've only got a year left of college and then…" She stopped herself.

"Hey." He kissed her briefly to get her attention. "I will never stop loving you. And as long as you're willing to put up with me, we're going to be fine."

"Good, because I could never give up on you." Rory smiled. "I love you too much."

"Promise?" He made her pinky swear. She nodded.

"I promise." She wrapped her finger around his and shook on it. "Especially if you buy me this park." His laugh couldn't be contained and she smiled as she felt his chest reverberating against her body.

OOOOO

Rory pushed the thought out of her mind. She couldn't think about it. She couldn't remember all of those times in the park. If she did, she would be overwhelmed with the guilt of knowing that she had broken her promise. She had given up on him. The man standing before her, speaking so eloquently, was not that same man in the park. He was reserved, serious. He looked so…guarded. She had felt ignored and in return, she had broken him. How selfish was she? Her entire life, she had gotten whatever she wanted from him and when it was his turn to need something, she had acted like a spoiled brat and walked away. She suddenly hated herself. She was here, at a night that was supposed to be a celebration of him, of all that he had accomplished, and what was she doing? Pondering whether or not to let him back into her life. It had never occurred to her that he might not want her anymore. Maybe he wanted nothing to do with her. Maybe he was better off without her and she should just turn and walk away before he saw her.

"Having second thoughts?" Logan asked. She nodded.

"Why did we come here?" She asked him.

"Hey, you called me, remember?"

OOOOO

"Gilmore, come with me. I've got a special assignment for you." Flattered and curious, she followed the editor into his office. "Your grandfather is in business, is he not?"

"Yes sir."

"I think you're the only person on this staff that can handle a society function like this. You know these people, probably went to Yale with some of them." He handed her the invitation envelope. "It's tonight."

"What's tonight?" She said, opening the envelope. "Hartford's Businessman of the Year Annual Gala." She said, impressed by the title. That is, before her eyes came to rest on the person receiving the award. Stunned and unable to move, she couldn't take her eyes off of his name.

"You okay Gilmore?" She sat down in the nearest chair and fanned herself with the invitation. "You're looking pretty white."

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She said, not wanting to cause a scene. "Just a little lightheaded." She played it off as cool as she could. She needed to get out of this office. "I'll be there." She faked a smile and stood up. "Thanks boss." It took all she had to not run out of the office. She practically knocked over three secretaries on the way back to her office.

Slamming her door shut, she quickly sat down at her desk, dropping the invitation like it was on fire. His name still stood out as if it were in bold neon on a black backdrop. Tristan DuGray. Her heart was racing as she tried to ignore the words pulsing off of the ivory cardstock. He was getting the Hartford Businessman of the Year award? She was proud of him but more worried about him. Could he be happy? How much had changed in the past four months? She had to get going if she was going to be ready for tonight. She reached for the phone, placing the receiver under her chin. Where to start? She needed a dress. She needed a date. She needed a Valium. Her finger hovered above the phone, unable to decide what to dial. Logan was in town. He would have enough power to cancel anything he had going on tonight in order to watch her disaster unfold live in living color.

OOOOO

"Are you crazy?" Logan said, believing that she had finally lost all of her marbles. "You can't go to this thing!"

"I have to! It's for work!" She needed to do this, it was her responsibility to the paper to be an objective reporter. "My editor has no idea of my past history with him, so I have to act as if I've never heard of this man."

"He's the love of your life, Ace. I'm pretty sure that it's going to sink into your writing." He said, refusing to hide the bite in his voice.

"Look, are you going to go with me or not?" She said, getting to the point. Logan sighed once more, clearly uneasy about the whole situation. "Fine." He said reluctantly. "But I want it on the record that this is purely for your own psychological well-being."

"Duly noted." She said. "Pick me up at 6:45." She said before hanging up the phone.

OOOOO

Logan did just as he was told and stood outside her door at 6:45. He knew better than to cross a Gilmore girl, but this whole thing made him sick to his stomach. He had traveled the world, dealt with numerous police departments in various languages that he didn't speak, and had a record a mile long, but nothing had made him more nervous than what they were about to do. If Tristan took one look at him and thought that they were on a date together, Logan would be dead. He didn't stand a chance if Tristan wanted to fight for Rory. He smiled as he remembered the way he used to tease his friend about his protective nature, now he feared it. Rory opened the door and Logan smiled.

"Ace, you look…" He couldn't finish. She looked like she was trying to get him back, and in that dress, she would most assuredly do just that.

"Good?" She suggested, hoping for the correct answer.

"Yes." He said, thankful she could assist him in speaking.

"Good." She smiled.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Logan asked once more. "We can still back out."

"In Omnia Paratus." She said with a wink. Logan smiled and linked her arm in his.

"In Omnia Paratus." He said, bracing himself for what was about to come.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Thanks for your amazing reviews! I actually wrote this chapter first before the rest of the story so I can update pretty quickly this time! Enjoy!

Tristan was sitting back down. Now that he was out of the bright lights that had been shining on him, he was able to look around the room and actually see the guests he had just spoken to. He glanced up just in time to catch Rory out of the corner of his eye. He had to do a double take. What the Hell was she doing here? Just the sight of her made his chest tighten up. Glancing to her right, he saw Logan chatting with someone behind their table. Staring intently at her, he suddenly realized he hadn't seen her in four months. Had it really only been four months?

She smiled and gave a wave with her notebook, telling him that she was here on assignment. It was her hesitant smile, her weak, apologetic smile. Their silent communication was completely understood as he nodded towards the front door, asking her to talk with him. She nodded and looked around the room, seeing if anyone else noticed their exchange. He waited until she had left before looking around once more. To his amazement, no one even noticed him as he stood up and left the main table. It was an unusually warm spring night and it felt good to step out into the fresh air and escape the stuffy atmosphere. She was standing with her back to the door and Tristan took the opportunity to gaze at her still beautiful body.

"Hey." He said, causing her to jump. She smiled.

"Rory Gilmore, Hartford Chronicle. Care to give an exclusive, Mr. DuGray?" She asked as she held up her notebook.

"You're the only one I would give it to." He said. She smiled and blushed a little. "How have you been?" He asked, wanting her to be happy.

"I've been okay." She took a deep breath. "You've obviously done very well for yourself." She pointed her finger at him.

"Well, I've had a lot of time to bury myself in work lately." He admitted. "You're here with Logan?" He asked, getting right to the point. Rory smiled.

"He figured that I needed some emotional assistance tonight." I wish I had gotten that memo, he thought.

"So," he said as he clapped his hands together and rubbed them "what do you want to know? I mean, that you don't know already?" He teased, pretending to get back to business. He was using the fake Hartford face on her, and it broke her heart.

"Tristan." She said softly, suddenly bringing him back to their Chilton days. He would never understand how her words tugged on his heart the way that they did. He looked her in the eye, a dangerous action, but one that couldn't be help. "Don't do that. Not with me. Not after all we've been through." Realizing he had been caught, he stopped smiling. She decided to take the first step. "I've missed you." She admitted.

"I've missed you too." He said. The silence reigned over the couple, unable to have a conversation without thinking of their last one together. The former best friends were now staring at their feet like strangers.

"God, would you look at us. What happened?" Tristan had analyzed this question a million times and the only answer he had was: Life.

"We grew apart. I grew apart." He corrected himself. "I got lost in work and…I let you get away." He said simply. Rory shook her head.

"It wasn't your fault. I didn't know how to be what you needed anymore. Our needs changed, and suddenly I didn't know how to be with you." She watched his jaw clench, showing how uncomfortable he was with how real this conversation had suddenly become. Taking her cue, she turned to leave. "You know, I think I can write this thing with what I have." She said, putting her notebook back into her purse. This was a bad idea. She needed to just cut her losses and walk away. She refused to hurt him anymore.

He couldn't help the "Huh?" that escaped his lips as she quickly turned the conversation off. His eyes shot up to see her sad face, desperate for her to stay as long as she could. What could he say to make her stay? He didn't know then and he certainly didn't know now. She wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug goodbye. He wrapped his arms around her, following her lead and soaking her in.

"It's always going to be you," She thought, not realizing that she also said it out loud until Tristan pulled her away to stare at her. She turned around, embarrassed.

"Rory, wait!" He said as he ran after her. She stopped when she felt his hand on her wrist, pulling her towards him. Before she knew what was happening, he was kissing her. Suddenly she felt like she was seventeen all over again. A mixture of confusion and intensity wafted over her. She wanted to know what he was doing and why. She pushed him away and stared at him.

"Tristan, I haven't seen you in months." She frustratedly reminded him, always being the sane one in the relationship, even after they had broken up.

"If I had a dollar for every time I picked up the phone and tried to dial, I could retire right now." He said, trying to prove himself to her. "How do I apologize to you?" He asked. "What could I have said that would have made any difference?"

"Anything! You could have said anything and I would have been at your door so fast…" She stopped, realizing the need to lower her voice. "You never even called." The hurt was evident in her voice.

"I'm sorry." He said desperately. "For everything I've done, I'm so so sorry. I knew that you needed your space and I didn't want to hurt you anymore. But you're right. I should have told you every day. I should have never stopped showing you how much I care about you." The frantic nature of his off-the-cuff speech was suddenly starting to sound like he had practiced it a thousand times. He had, over and over the past few months. "Please say something." He begged.

"I don't know what to say!" She said honestly, throwing her hands out in frustration. She rubbed her forehead and eyes, clearly trying to calm down.

"Well that's a first." He fought the urge to smile but she couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Whether it was out of the comedy or the insanity at the situation, he couldn't be sure, but it did make him feel a little better. Suddenly, Logan was at her side. He must have been watching them from the doorway.

"You okay Ace?" Logan asked, coming to her rescue. Tristan knew that he had nothing to worry about with Logan, but still, it upset him that he was the one causing this and Logan was the one taking care of her.

"We're fine." Rory nodded and moved the scene further outside.

"I hate that he calls you that." Tristan admitted. She questioned him with a look. "It's my thing. I named you first. I should be the guy that calls you by the affectionate nickname. I should be the one making sure that you are okay." He hated himself for letting their relationship get to this point.

"Would you prefer if he called me Mary?" She teased, trying to ignore the majority of what he had just said. He put his head down, wanting to get back to his point.

"Did you mean what you said back there?" He asked.

"Yes, but…"

"Then that's all I need to know. We can do this Rory. I know we can." She shook her head and looked away, not sure if she could believe him.

"It's not that easy." She said. "I cried myself to sleep for a month after I left. I can't go through that again."

"And you think that I didn't? You broke up with me Rory." He paused and shook away the natural reaction to one up her with one of his own sad stories. That wasn't going to solve anything; he had to beg. "Look, clearly, we were miserable without each other." He reached out for her hand. "But we had been attached at the hip since we were seventeen, I think one break-up was to be expected eventually. We went through it, saw how stupid we were, and now is our opportunity to fix it. We are in the same city now." He pointed out. She closed her eyes. "What's one night? We exorcise the demons and get everything off of our chests. At the very least we'll get some closure." She fought the urge to tell him no. "Please? Come home with me." His fingertips playing against her hand felt so familiar, yet so far in the past, like a ghost of what they used to be. Home. Wasn't that where the heart was? Well her heart would always be with him.

"One night?" She said, finding herself giving in.

"That's all I'm asking." She sighed and nodded, and Tristan knew that was as much as an answer as he was going to get. "I'll get my coat." He said, running back inside.

OOOOO

As Rory stepped into his apartment, she couldn't help but feel nostalgic. It had been a long time since she had been here, but everything was the same, and there was some comfort in that. Maybe even a little hope that they could be the same too.

"I'm surprised it's so clean." Rory said with a smile as she looked around.

"Like I said, I haven't been here a lot. If you want to take a real look at my life, step into my office."

"Your dad must be proud. He always said you would be a company man, living at the office." She didn't mean for the comment to sting, but for Tristan, it left a bruise.

"He also said you would leave me. Looks like he's batting a thousand." She turned around. He knew that it was a cheap shot. "Sorry." He winced, unable to control his tongue. "Can I get you something to drink?" He asked, treating her like a guest as he walked into the kitchen.

"Coffee would be great." He paused.

"Actually, I'm out right now."

"How can you be out of coffee, you drink it every day." She said.

"Well…I kind of… threw it all out when you left." He said, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

"You stopped drinking coffee?"

"It reminded me of you." She smiled at the insane but flattering gesture. "I do have water, some juice and about," he paused to shake the bottle "half a bottle of gin." He said as he looked through his fridge.

"Water's fine." She said. He handed her a bottle and sat down at the table.

"Sorry." He said. "I wasn't kidding when I said I never stayed here anymore."

"Don't be." She paused before continuing quietly. "I, uh, I still take your sections of the paper out before I read it." She admitted. "If I forget and I stumble across one of the Business, Finance, or Sports sections, it ruins my whole morning."

"You throw away half of your paper every morning?" She nodded. "We make quite a pair don't we?" She played with the cap of her water bottle and chewed on her lip. The quiet found them again. Tristan had to know, before she decided this was a mistake. "When did you decide to leave?" She was surprised at his bluntness, but answered him anyway.

"Wow. Um, okay." She said, gathering her footing before diving right in. "About a month before I actually left."

"And can I ask," he paused, wanting to be gentle "what finally caused it?" The tenderness that was in his voice, the desperate need for an answer, let her know that he had been distraught over the question, believing it must be something that he did. In truth, the question had been the staple of his late night thoughts, plaguing him until he quieted his mind with enough alcohol to sleep for a few hours.

"It wasn't anything in particular. Things hadn't been good for quite some time and I couldn't do it anymore, you know? I was tired of fighting to keep everything going, especially when it used to be so easy."

"So there wasn't anyone else?" He asked. Rory's eyes shot up, surprised that he could even suggest such a thing.

"No. Of course not."

"And since then?" She didn't answer.

"What about you?" She asked. "Have you seen anyone lately?" He shook his head. There was no need to tell her about that brunette, blue eyed waitress he had drunkenly drowned his sorrows in right after she had left.

"I was never a big dater." He reminded her. She knew what he truly meant, but didn't bother saying anything. There was no point in getting upset about it.

"I tried so hard to get over you. I guess when I saw you tonight, I realized I probably never would."

"But you can't see a relationship with me either?" He asked. She didn't know how to answer that question.

"I want a relationship with you Tristan, I just don't know if it's possible." He shook his head and scoffed before he flashed his perfected 'You're unbelievable' smile at her, the one he usually reserved for his father.

"The last time you told me that we were sitting in Maddie's guest bedroom." She stared at the table, not wanting to look at him. "We've come full circle." His voice was breaking with the evident frustration he could no longer hide from her. After several minutes of silence, Tristan knew what he had to do. Taking a deep breath, he stood up and moved closer to her. He took her hand, forcing her to look at him. "Look at me." The command worked. She looked at him, surprised. His jaw was set and his eyes were sure. She instantly felt her resolve begin to melt. "I'm standing here. I'm telling you that it is possible. I know that we got lost before but I'm willing to fight for this. You are the most important thing in the world for me. Let me show you how much I care about you. Please." He pleaded his case, his persuasion skills still perfectly intact. The fight within her head was clearly displayed on her features as she fought the internal battle between yes and no. Her silence seemed like an eternity for Tristan, who was hanging on her every feature, begging for an answer to his question.

"I can't…" She started, fighting the stinging tears back as she watched Tristan's head fall. "I can't lose you again." Tristan's own tears started creeping into his vision at the sight of her tears, at all the pain that he had caused her, at the loss of hope of the two of them ever getting back together. "If I say yes, you have to promise…" She said as the tears finally started falling. "I won't go through all of this again." His eyes shot up to see if she was serious.

"Baby, I promise." He nodded his head frantically as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I promise. I'm never going to let you get away, ever again." He felt her hot tears fall down his neck.

"I'm so sorry. I should have never left. I should have tried harder…" She cried, clutching his neck. She felt so small in his arms as she released the guilt and pain of the last four months. He held her steadfast, one hand on her back and the other on the back of her head.

"Shhh, it's okay." He comforted her, so elated to just have her in his arms again. He completely ignored the tears falling down his own cheeks. The only thing that mattered was making sure that she was okay.

"I want you to know that I have always loved you." Tristan nodded, knowing that she meant it. "I never wanted to leave. I just didn't know what else to do."

"I know. I know. It's going to be okay now. We'll finally settle down and get married." He suggested as he pulled away to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "And have lots of kids, and live happily ever after. I know that we can figure it out." She nodded and wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks. When she had finally stopped crying, she noticed his own tears for the first time. She swiped a tear from his cheek, chuckling softly at the unexpected sight of his crying.

"God, what a pair." She joked, knowing that they must look ridiculous, both with swollen eyes, and tear-stained cheeks, still in their respective evening wear.

"You're beautiful." He said, pushing a loose strand of hair away from her face. She kissed him gently, but her hand lingered against his cheek. "I really missed that." He said, resting his forehead against hers. She smiled and nodded, rubbing her nose against his in the process. He kissed her again, this time playfully, sending his endorphins through the roof.

"You taste salty." Rory giggled.

"You taste like heaven." He said honestly as he kissed her again, unable to control himself. She was like Halloween candy to a little kid. He wanted all of her, all at once, future consequences be damned.

"Tris…" She said, her bedroom eyes appearing as he slowly started backing her up against the counter.

"Yeah…" His eyes were glued to her lips as his fingers danced against the flesh on the back of her neck.

"What are you doing?" She smirked, knowing exactly what he was doing.

"Do you think that make-up sex is really as good as they say?" He wondered, a smile spreading across both of their faces.

"There's only one way to find out." She whispered before he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, his hands tightly around the back of her knees as he carried her into his bedroom.

**A/N:** I feel like there should be an epilogue for this story, right? A very happy chapter to thank you all for sitting through the angsty parts of the story. I will get right on that. Until then, thanks for hanging in there with me. I've got a zillion ideas and a couple chapters of my next story written plus I've decided I'm going to make Matchmakers a full story due to the demand of requests and reviews :D Again, thanks for your patience with this story and I hope you enjoy the next one!


	17. Epilogue

Disclaimer: This is the last chapter. This story was an adventure for me because I hadn't really written in Chilton verse, so I w0uld like to thank everyone who gave it a chance! I would also like to thank Gilmore Girl at Heart for the kind review earlier. I was going to thank you in the last chapter and I forgot. So I'm sorry. This is for all the people who stuck with this story through it all. A Happy Ending awaits!

"Mommy! Dylan broke your picture!" Emma came screaming through the house and into the kitchen.

"What are you talking about?" Rory asked.

"He threw his ball and it smashed the picture and now…" The little girl didn't get a chance to finish. Rory went running into the living room, not surprised to find the broken glass covering the hardwood floor.

"Dylan. Don't move." Rory said as she walked carefully over to him and picked him up. "Did you cut yourself?" She asked, giving him a quick once-over, checking for blood.

"I'm sorry!" He cried. "It was an accident!"

"I know honey, it's okay." She comforted the small child and carried him out of the room. "Watch your brother." She pointed a finger at Emma who was still in the kitchen. She grabbed a broom and was just about to head back into the living room when Tristan waltzed through the backdoor. One sight at the chaos in the kitchen and he knew that he had just missed something.

"Everything okay?" Tristan asked, putting down his briefcase and glancing at his wife. She just rolled her eyes, begging him not to ask any questions. He glanced at Dylan, who gave him a look of guilt. "What happened?" He asked. Noticing his quivering chin, he watched as Dylan burst into tears again.

"I'm said I'm sorry!" He said, begging not to be punished by his father.

"Dylan was playing ball in the house again. Even though Mom said not to. And then he broke the picture in the living room and glass went everywhere." Emma said; her perfect know-it-all voice sounding remarkably like Rory's used to. Dylan just put his head down.

"Is that true?" He asked. Dylan nodded slowly and Tristan sighed. "Are you okay?" He nodded again. The poor kid was scared to death. "Stay here while Mom cleans it up." He instructed the two kids as he went to go see what the damage was. He walked through the doorway and into the living room, chuckling as Rory tip-toed around the glass. "Let me. You're going to cut yourself." He said, his shoes still on. On the coffee table was the remnants of the frame and the picture. He sighed as he remembered the day she had given it to him all those years ago. The two ticket stubs from the concert were still in the back, at least, they had been until now.

"2003." She said, picking up the stubs as if that were lifetimes ago.

"We've come a long way Baby." He said with a sweep of the broom.

"Of all the frames to fall off of the wall, this was the one he had to break." She sighed, trying not to be angry at her son. "We've had this picture for almost fourteen years."

"He's only four. He has no idea what he's doing." Tristan said, sticking up for his son. He was his father's son after all. Rory loved that about him. Emma had been the spitting image of Tristan, with the personality of her mother. She had his blonde hair and his stubborn need to be right all the time, but she had also acquired Rory's love of learning and bookishness. This had made for one Hell of a combo. Dylan on the other hand, could not behave even if he wanted to. It was like an itch he just had to scratch. He had his mother's brown hair and quiet nature, which made him almost impossible to catch until it was too late. It was dangerous having a child that was so sneaky and Rory knew that it would only get worse before it got better.

"I know, but with the family Christmas tomorrow, this was the last thing I needed."

"It will be okay. What do you have left to do?" He asked, wanting to help. Rory sat down on the couch.

"Will you just deal with the kids? Help them clean their rooms, take a bath, put them to bed?" Tristan nodded. "I could do everything else if I didn't keep getting interrupted."

"Their bags are packed?" He asked. Rory just sighed.

"I was going to tackle that tomorrow morning. If you want to do it tonight, you can. Emma wants to wear her new dress to dinner tomorrow and Dylan can't stay clean long enough for it to make a difference what he wears, but I would like for him to wear something semi-nice."

"We'll scrounge something up."

"Thank you. I'm sorry about your picture." She pouted, looking down at the mess still on the table.

"I can buy a new frame. It's the girl in the picture I love." He said, holding the dust pan far away from both of their bodies as he leaned in to give her a quick kiss. Rory stared at the picture as Tristan went to go throw the glass shards away. She looked so young there. Her face was so round and her eyes were so bright. She knew that she hadn't looked like that in a very long time, but Tristan still made her eyes light up.

OOOOOO

"Uncle Jess is pretending to be Santa Claus! He brought me a Christmas present!" Emma said.

"Merry Christmas." He said, handing her a book-shaped package.

"Forget that. Come here." Rory said, hugging him tightly. "I'm so glad you came home. It's been forever since I've seen you."

"A year is not forever."

"It's one year too many." She said. "So, where is she?" Rory asked, looking behind him.

"She's talking to Lorelei."

"No fair! Who says she gets to meet her first?"

"She who stands closest to the door, wins." Tristan said with a smile from across the kitchen. "How are you Jess?"

"I'm good. And yourself?" Tristan nodded.

"I heard you got Emma a new book." Jess nodded.

"Got to keep my girl supplied with proper reading materials." Tristan just laughed at his use of the word 'my'. He had found a twin soul in the six year old and they were best friends almost instantly. Emma already wanted to be a big-time author like her Uncle Jess.

"What did you get her?" Rory asked.

"A Christmas Carol of course." He said as his attention turned towards the entryway. "There you are. Ari, this is Rory. Rory, Arianna James." The only thing that Rory knew about this girl was that Jess was crazy about her, and that she was raised by two professors who still worked at NYU. He had left out the fact that she was drop-dead gorgeous and probably just as smart. Arianna was the same height as Jess, but skinny and blonde. Her hair was shoulder-length and she gave off a stylish writer vibe, dressed impeccably in dark tones. She was definitely city-born and raised. Jess and Ari had been dating six months and from the way he spoke about her, Rory assumed they would end up together. Clearly, Jess thought this too because he looked as if he were about to throw up from nerves at the two of them meeting for the first time.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Rory said with a smile.

"You too! Jess has told me so much about you and your family. I'm so grateful to be here with everyone."

"We're so glad you could make it."

"Ari, this is Rory's husband Tristan."

"Hi." She said with a big smile as she shook his hand. Tristan smiled politely until she turned around, when he gave his look of approval with a silent "Oh my God" and a very brief thumbs up to Jess.

"Dinner is ready." Luke yelled as everyone headed for the dining room. The Inn was decorated meticulously and the roaring fire set the mood as everyone began to sit at the table. Rory, Tristan and the kids on one side, Luke, Lorelei, Jess, and Ari on the other. After the plates were served and the wine was poured, Lorelei stood up.

"To old family, and new friends. Merry Christmas." Lorelei toasted.

"Merry Christmas." Everyone said.

OOOOO

"WAKE UP!" Emma and Dylan were both jumping on their bed, trying to get their parents to wake up for Christmas presents. "Hurry!"

"Go, we'll meet you downstairs." Rory groaned, unable to sit up. Tristan sat up with a smile as the two kids took off down the hall. "Don't open them until we get there."

"Merry Christmas Mary." He mumbled against her skin as he kissed her neck. Rory smiled.

"Merry Christmas."

"Are you coming?" Emma asked as she emerged in the doorway again.

"Yes." They said in unison before sitting up and put on their robes, careful not to tumble down the stairs on their way to the lobby where the Christmas tree had been set up.

"Grandma! Can we open them?" Dylan asked, his hands poised for the destruction to begin.

"One at a time. Let's go in a circle." Rory said. Emma and Dylan both ripped into one of their gifts, completely disregarding their mother.

"A truck!" Dylan exclaimed as he ran the box over his legs, pretending to drive it, without actually opening the box.

"It's from Grandma and Grandpa. What do you say?" Rory asked, pushing her son's knee.

"Thanks Grandpa Luke!"

"You're welcome." He said with a smile.

"Emma, what did you get and from who?" Tristan asked Emma, who silently held up the book she had already started to read.

"Uncle Jess. What's a Cler-gy-man?" She mispronounced the word, causing Jess to smile.

"We'll read it together later." Rory promised her. "Now we're opening presents."

"Tristan, you're next." Lorelei said, handing him a present. He set Dylan down with his newly freed truck and took the box from Lorelei. "What is it?" He asked, shaking it slightly.

"Open it and find out, you dork." Rory said, shaking her head. Tristan broke into the paper and emerged with a new briefcase.

"Wow. Thank you so much!" He said as he took it out of the box and started examining it. "How did you know?"

"I heard about the Jell-o stain." Lorelei smiled. They all took turns one by one until there were no more presents under the tree.

"One more." Jess said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small box. The room fell silent as he handed the box to Arianna.

"No!" She cried as he opened it for her, clearly in too much shock to open it herself.

"Yes." He nodded.

"You said you wanted to wait!" She said.

"Will you just let me ask the question, please?" He said, seemingly calm. She shut up and stared at him. "Ari, will you marry me?" A huge smile burst from her lips and she silently squealed as her fists flew to cover her smile.

"Yes!" She cried. "Oh my God!" She said as he put the ring on her finger. "I can't believe you! You lied!"

"Yes, yes I did." She kissed him fiercely anyway.

"Did you know about this?" Lorelei asked Luke, who shook his head, but smiled proudly.

OOOOO

"I still can't believe it. Jess is finally getting married." Rory said later as she changed into her pajamas. Tristan was already in bed and reading a magazine. Clearly, he was supposed to stop and have a conversation with her, so he put down his reading material and gazed up at his wife, who was crawling into bed.

"Yes. Yes he is." Tristan said, not really knowing how to respond to that statement.

"And how cute were they today? All young and in love." Rory said with a smile.

"They are our age, you do realize this right?" Tristan said.

"Yeah, but they were _so _happy." Rory emphasized. She paused as Tristan gave her a look. "And not that we aren't happy now, we're just not that 'over the moon' kind of happy like we were when we were engaged. Do you remember? You were a nervous wreck, you couldn't lay still."

"You kept trying to lie on top of the box! I had to keep moving to keep you from figuring it out!"

"The stars were beautiful though."

"I had always known that I was going to propose to you in that park, even in college. The meteor shower gave me a good excuse." Tristan said.

"It was the perfect location."

"I never did have the nerve to buy it for you like I promised I would." Tristan regretted.

"But you have given me anything I could ever want, including two of the most beautiful, intelligent, and troublesome children in the world." Tristan smiled.

"Good compromise?"

"Sure." Rory said, a sort of non-committal tone to her voice. "But I really would have liked to have that park." She giggled, giving herself away.

"There's still time." Tristan said. "I'm not worried."

"I don't know. Fourteen years have gone by and I haven't seen so much as a park bench."

"We've been together for fourteen years? Is that right?" He asked, unable to believe it had already been that long.

"Yep." Rory said.

"And you thought that it wouldn't last two weeks." He said with a proud smirk. "Come on. You can admit it. You were wrong."

"Never." She said, sounding just like their daughter.

"Say you were wrong!" He said, pulling her down onto the bed next to him.

"No!" She wriggled underneath him as he tickled her into submission. "Ah!" She squealed. "Okay! I was wrong!"

"Yes…yes you were." He said, still lingering over her.

"Satisfied?" She smirked.

"Not for weeks." He said, leaning in closer so that his skin was practically touching hers, but not quite.

"Hmm." Rory said, licking her lips lightly before tugging on her bottom lip with her teeth. "What are you going to do about it?" She asked.

"I've already done something about it." He said. "The kids aren't here." He said, nodding to the empty bed beside them.

"You do realize what a sleepover at Grandma's entails don't you? They're going to be sugar-fed and sleep-deprived."

"Yeah, well, hopefully so will I." He said as he leaned down to kiss his smiling wife.

"You sound pretty confident." Rory teased.

"You love that about me." He assured her.

"Oh really?"

"Uh-huh." He said as he kissed her again.

"Well then, you better be able to back all that talk up." Rory said, knowing that he could never disappoint.

"That's what friends are for." He said with a smirk.


End file.
